The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1882-09-09
Billet-Doux.

Rousseau gives rule for their COM
position, which would make it appear
matter of the utmost ease. "Begin
without knowing what you are going
to say" advises he, land end without
knowing what you have said" That
may be all very well, and there are
some who, no doubt, have been able
to do it. The theological John Kuox
probably acted on the first part of the
maxim. HIS first love letter was a
composition that it is difficult 10 imag-
inc any could have deliberately pre-
meditated. 1t was enormously long,
reads for the most part like a very dull
sermon, and its first sentence-ad-
dressed to his ''Deirlibelovit sister"-
when afterward printed made eigh-
teen lines of close type. Falstatfs
letter, duplicate copies of which served
for the two merry wives of Windsor,
may possibly have been an extempore
| effusion, such as Rousseau recon-
mends. 1t is just what the witty old
scape-grace might be imagined to sit
down and scribble off hand, feeling
quite sure that almost anything in tb
shape of a letter would answer his pur-
pose. You are not young, no more
am 1 /; go to, then, there's sympathy.
You are merry, so am /; ha, ba! then
there's more sympathy. You love
sack, so do I would you desire better
sympathy 20
The ordinary billet-doux, however, is
a far more serious affair than anything
Falstaf was capable of writing, and
whether ponderously spun out in long.
winded periods like Knox's or con.
centrated and condensed like Steele's,
the love letter has probably always
been the occasion of a vast amount of
brain cudgelling. Dear Mistress
Scurlock," wrote Steele, 81 am tired
OF calling you by that name; therefore
say day when you will take that of,
madame, your devoted, humble SER
want, Richard Steele" Nothing looks
simpler than this; but how many
preliminary experiments Steele had
made, how many other forms of pro-
posal he had concocted, and through
how many various phases this crisp,
neat little billet had gradually devel-
oped, who shall say? Steele certainly
has sometimes been accredited with
rather remarkable aptitude in framing
correspondence of this sort, but his
reputation has been based on his
past matrimonial performances, which
were very curious, certainly, but car
not be regarded as any criterion of mis-
faculty in this line before marriage.
Dear Prue," he writes to his wife on
one occasion, II am very sleepy and
tired, but could not think of closing
my eyes till had told you / am, Gear,
est creature, your most affectionate,
faithful husband, Richard Steele"
There are so many of these singular
little billets-doux scattered here and
there in the published correspondence
of this writer that for time one is in.
clined to regard them as genuine man.
ifestations of an uxorious disposition.
Steele seems always to have been
writing to Dear Prue" these consider
ate, devoted little notes. ''Daar Prue,
don't be displeased that I do not come
home till II o'clock.-Yours eyer.u
Forgive me dining abroad, and let
Will carry the papers to Buckley's.-
Your fond, devoted R. S." Three or
four times day he would be sending
off such dispatches as these ~ beg
of you not to be impatient, though it
be an hour before you see me-" There
is, however, one of these notes which
seems to show that such illusions were
not altogether spontaneous. "Dear
Prue: 1t is strange thing because
you are handsome that you will no.
behave yourself with the obedience
that people of worse features do; but
that must be always giving you an
account Of every trifie and minute of
my time. l send you this to tell YOU
L am waiting to be sent for again when
my Lord Wharton is stirring"