Eloisa Author:Jean-Jacques Rousseau Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: E L O I S A. LETTER !., % ' TO ELOISA. J Must fly from you, Eloisa ; I feel I must. I ought not to have stayed with you so long ; or rather, I ought nev... more »er to have beheld you. But now, what can I do ! On what shall I determine ? You have promised me your friendship ; consider my perplexity, and give me your advice. You are sensible that I only came into the family in consequence of an invjtatioB-frem-ynur mother. Believing me possessed of some little knowledge, she thought I might be of service in the diication of her beloved daughter, in a si. (nation where proper masters were not to be obtained. Proud to be instrumental in adding any embellishment to so fine a natural genius, I ventured on the perilous task, unmindful of the danger, or at least fearless of the consequence. I will not tell you that I begin to suffer for my presumption. I hope I shall never so far forget myself, as to say any thing which you ought not to hear, or fail in that respect which is due to your virtue, even more than to your birth or personal charms. If I must suffer, I have the consolation at least of suffering alone ; nor could I enjoy any happiness at the expence of your's. And yet I see and converse with you daily : in the mean while I am but too sensible that you innocently aggravate a misfortune which you cannot pity, and of which you ought to be ignorant. It is true, I know what prudence dictates in a case like this, where there is no hope ; and I shall cer.tainly follow her advice, if I could reconcile it to my notions of probity. But, how can I with decency quit a family into which I was so kindly invited, where I have received so many obligations, and where, by the tenderest of mothers, I am thought of some utility to a daughter whom she loves more than all the world ? How can I r...« less