Your most obedient Humble Servant
Wellington.
Miss J. writes,—
"To describe how I recoiled from this letter received from His Grace would be impossible. My feeling was both on his account and my own. On his, to think that while possessed of thousands yearly he could thus have reconciled himself to imply that the utterly insufficient sum alluded to in those enclosed letters was enough for me in that truly distressing helpless state. On my own part, I lamented deeply that I should ever have been influenced under any circumstances to ask a favor at his hands. This I would rather have died than do, had not the affection of so fond a Sister, who judged of others by her own generous heart overcome every selfish feeling and at length prevailed!"
Miss J. immediately prepared and sent off the following letter to the Duke.
July 30, 1850.
My Lord Duke,—Having placed my cause in His Hands "Who judgeth righteously and Whose Countenance beholdeth the thing that is right," consequently Who will not, I am assured, suffer you with impunity to treat me with greater coarseness and want of due consideration than I under similar circumstances should have extended to a common menial that I had known or who had served me for the same number of years, I leave you in His Hands accordingly. I resume my pen merely to inform you that as you thought proper after reading my Guardian's letter written several years ago and his wife's of later date, yet can at the conclusion of your most unwelcome letter write as follows, "In truth, according to the contents of these letters there is no absolute necessity for any assistance at present,"—I desire to remark that if it were not necessary then it will never be necessary from Your hands. Consequently, should you at your good will and pleasure think proper to take the liberty of sending me a Registered letter with an Enclosure, I shall not only decline receiving it but likewise refuse to sign the paper that accompanies it in the Post Man's charge, let the consequences be whatever they may. It is to prevent such an Intrusion on your part and such a due mortification on mine towards Your Grace that I have now resumed my pen—for ill as I still feel I would rather beg my bread from door to door than receive a favor at such hands! preferring to trust myself wholly in His Hands Who declares "The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine."...
May God in His infinite mercy, My Lord Duke, give you Grace to understand this Divine assertion, "Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in ME, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the Sea."
May HE before it is too late incline you to draw near unto Him accordingly prays,
His devoted Child and Servant,