It was most agreeable to me to receive a letter of confidence from you, at the time I expected a very different one from you; though, by the date of your last, I perceive you had not then received some letters, which, though I did not see, I must call simple, as they could only tend to make you uneasy for some months.  I should not have thought of communicating a quarrel to you at a distance, and I don’t conceive the sort of friendship of those that thought it necessary.  When I heard it had been wrote to you, I thought it right to myself to give you my account of it, but, by your brother’s desire, suppressed my letter, and left it to be explained by him, who wrote to you so sensibly on it, that I shall say no more but that I think myself so ill-used that it will prevent my giving you thoroughly the advice you ask of me for how can I be sure that my resentment might not make me see in a stronger light the reasons for your breaking off an affair(953) which you know before I never approved?

You know my temper is so open to any body I love that I must be happy at seeing you lay aside a reserve with me, which is the only point that ever made me dissatisfied with you.  That silence of yours has, perhaps, been one of the chief reasons that has always prevented my saying much to you on a topic which I saw was so near your heart.  Indeed, its being so near was another reason; for how could I expect you would take my advice, even if you bore it?  But, my dearest Harry, how can I advise you now?  Is it not gone too far -for me to expect you should keep any resolution about it, especially in absence, which must be destroyed the moment you meet again?  And if ever you should marry and be happy, won’t you reproach me with having tried to hinder it?  I think you as just and honest as I think any man living; but any man living in that circumstance would think I had been prompted by private reasons.  I see as strongly as you can all the arguments for your breaking off; but, indeed, the alteration of your fortune adds very little strength to what they had before.  You never had fortune enough to make such a step at all prudent:  she loved you enough to be content with that; I can’t believe this change will alter her sentiments, for I must do her the justice to say that it is plain she preferred you with nothing to all the world.  I could talk upon this head, but I will only leave you to consider, without advising YOU On either side, these two things-whether you think it honester to break off with her after such engagements as yours (how strong I don’t know), after her refusing very good matches for you, and show her that she must think of making her fortune; or whether you will wait with her till some amendment in your fortune can put it in your power to marry her. ’