Six in the evening
My greatest fear is , that an idle resentment may engage him in an intrigue with the lady in question , who is a woman of gallantry , and whom he may find very troublesome hereafter . It is much easier to commence an affair of this kind than to break it off ; and a man , though his heart was disengaged , should be always on his guard against any thing like an attachment where his affections are not really interested : meer passion or meer vanity will support an affair _ en passant _ ; but , where the least degree of constancy and attention are expected , the heart must feel , or the lover is subjecting himself to a slavery as irksome as a marriage without inclination . Temple will tell you I speak like an oracle ; for I have often seen him led by vanity into this very disagreable situation : I hope I am not too late to save Fitzgerald from it . Six in the evening . All goes well : his proud heart is come down , he has begged her pardon , and is forgiven ; you have no idea how civil both are to me , for having persuaded them to do what each of them has longed to do from the first moment : I love to advise , when I am sure the heart of the person advised is on my side . Both were to blame , but I always love to save the ladies from any thing mortifying to the dignity of their characters ; a little pride in love becomes them , but not us ; and 't is always our part to submit on these occasions . I never saw two happier people than they are at present , as I have a little preserved decorum on both sides , and taken the whole trouble of the reconciliation on myself : Bell knows nothing of my having applied to Fitzgerald , nor he that I did it at Emily 's request : my conversation with him on this subject seemed accidental .