Your most faithful Servant,
Wellington.
"In the Duke's next letter, dated July 9th, he writes—'I am much concerned to learn by the perusal of your Note of the 8th that you are still suffering. I am very sorry to hear that you are likely to lose the society of your Sister.'
"In the Duke's next letter, dated July 12th, he writes—'I entreat you to write legibly and to avoid fatiguing yourself by writing too much.'
"Part of the Copy of a letter written to the Duke, July 8th, 1850, in reference to my dear Sister's leaving me.'
"'I dare not on this occasion indulge the hope of my dear Sister's continuation in England, she having this morning received a letter which renders it necessary that she should return home and I must pray to God to give me grace and strength to bear such a separation, Who alone can prevent my sinking under these various surrounding perplexities, for when she is gone I shall not have anyone but Himself to look to, with the exception of yourself to whom I have much to say if I could but consider it His Will that I should repose in you accordingly. O that HE may direct me and influence you to receive all I have to communicate in whatever way to His unerring Will prays yours devotedly.'"
The final quarrel was now approaching. The account of it is best given in Miss J.'s own words, omitting, as heretofore, a large proportion of the Biblical quotations.
"May The Lord enable me to proceed as HE would have me do for His great holy name sake! for when, or how, to commence a description of the circumstances in which I was placed with regard to pecuniary matters, I know not. However, having besought the Lord to aid me I will at once state that my own Income, limited at best, had become still more so through a fire which took place on the property mortgaged, rendering it so small that it was impossible to live upon it without further help added! Meanwhile, the landed property we had expected to possess appeared, through a Will drawn out at a later date to belong to the younger branches of our family, which was a dreadful disappointment to my beloved Sister. She had buoyed up her hopes that her portion thereof, united to mine would compensate for hopes which could now no longer be anticipated. This rendered her grief on my account additionally distressing, causing her to reason with and beseech me to spread the whole affair before the Duke. From the very thought of this I recoiled unutterably, thus inducing her to reproach me with a want of due affection and consideration for herself, as my death would be insupportable and must necessarily take place if she left me in England so situated. At length, considering as she had justly remarked that the Duke's abundant riches were bestowed upon him by God to do good with when in his power and that any aid afforded me could never be sufficiently great to admit of his feeling the loss thereof; also considering the gold and silver are The Lord's Who could consequently dispose of it accordingly, ... therefore it appeared a duty due to God and man to appeal to the Duke Who in God's sight may justifiably have been expected to become a father unto me under such circumstances. That, too, as above observed, without feeling the consequences thereof any more than the Ocean would miss a bubble that had appeared on its surface and then vanished forever.
"O that I could pass over this part of my life in silence! But such does not appear to me consistent with the will of God. Therefore I must proceed and prepare to introduce the letter first addressed to His Grace on this subject.
"July 11, 1850.