Escribe Clarissa (Vol. III, carta LXXXV) a Anna Howe, describiendo los engaños de Lovelace, con el burdel en el que la alojaba, y con sus falsas primas aristócratas:
He always loved to speak as he found. No man in the world had suffered more from calumny than he himself had done.
Esto, por supuesto, es estilo indirecto libre. No es Clarisa describiendo lo que opina del carácter de él, o de si ha sido víctima de la calumnia, sino transmitiendo lo que Lovelace dice sobre sí mismo. Y así seguimos:
Women, he owned, ought to be more scrupulous than men needed to be where they lodged. Nevertheless, he wished that fact, rather than surmise, were to be the foundation of their judgments, especially when they spoke of one another.
He meant no reflection upon her ladyship's informants, or rather surmisants (as he might call them), be they who they would: nor did he think himself obliged to defend characters impeached, or not thought well of, by women of virtue and honour. Neither were there people of importance enought to have so much said about them.
The pretended Lady Betty said, All who knew her would clear her of censoriousness: that it gave her some opinion, she must neds say, of the people, that he had continued thereso long with me; that I had rather negative than positive reasons of dislike to them; and that so shrewd a man as she heard Captain Tomlison was, had not objected to them.
I think, Niece Charlotte, proceeded she, as my nephew has not parted with these lodgings, you and I (fo, as my dear Miss Harlowe dislikes the people, I would not ask her for her company) will take a dish of tea with my nephew there, before we go out of town, and then we shall see what sort of people they are. I have heard that Mrs. Sinclair is a mighty forbidding creature.
With all my heart, madam. In your ladyship's company I shall make no scruple of going any whither.
It was ladyship at every word; and as she seemed proud of her title, and of her dress too, I might have guseed that she was not used to either.
What say you, Cousin Lovelace? Lady Sarah, thogh a melancholy woman, is very inquisitive about all your affairs. I must acquaint her with every particular circumstance when I go down.
With all his heart. He would attend whenever she pleased. She would see very handsome apartments, and very civil people.
The deuce is in them, said the Miss Montague, if they appear other to us.
They then fell into family talk, family happiness on my hoped-for accession into it. They mentioned Lord M.'s and Lady Sara's great desire to see me. How many friends and admirers, with up-lift hands, I should have! [O my dear, what a triumph must these creatures, and he, have over the poor devoted all the time!] What a happy man he would be! They would not, the Lady Betty said, give themselves the mortification but to suppose that I should not be one of them!
Presents were hinted at. She resolved that I should go with her to Glenham Hall. She would not be refused, although whe were to stay a week beyond her time for me.
She longed for the expected letter from you. I mot write to hasten it, and to let Miss Howe know how everything stood since I wrote last. That might dispose me absolutely in their favour and in her nephew's; and then she hoped there would be no occasion for me to think of entering upon any new measures.
Indeed, my dear, I did at the time intend, if I heard not from you by morning, to dispatch a man and horse to you, with the particulars of all, that you might (if you thoughtt proper) at least put off Mrs. Townsend's coming up another day. But I was miserably prevented.
(...)
—oOo—
