My lord was in raptures: he knew something, he said, of the lady's
father, and enough of the family, by hearsay, to confirm all I had said
of them; and besought me to do my utmost to bring the affair to a speedy
conclusion.
Sir Thomas Mansfield was a very good man; and much respected in his
neighbourhood. He was once possessed of a large estate; but his father
left him involved in a law-suit to support his title to more than one
half of it.
After it had been depending several years, it was at last, to the deep
regret of all who knew him, by the chicanery of the lawyers of the
opposite side, and the remissness of his own, carried against him; and
his expenses having been very great in supporting for years his
possession, he found himself reduced from an estate of near three
thousand pounds a year, to little more than five hundred. He had six
children: four sons, and two daughters. His eldest son died of grief in
two months after the loss of the cause. The second, now the eldest, is a
melancholy man. The third is a cornet of horse. The fourth is
unprovided for; but all three are men of worthy minds, and deserve better
fortune.
The daughters are remarkable for their piety, patience, good economy, and
prudence. They are the most dutiful of children, and most affectionate
of sisters. They were for three years the support of their father's
spirits, and have always been the consolation of their mother.
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