"I was this morning early with Mr. Lewis of the secretary's office, and saw a letter Mr. Harley had sent him, desiring to be reconciled; but I was deaf to all entreaties, and have desired Lewis to go to him, and let him know I expected farther satisfaction. If we let these great ministers pretend too much, there will be no governing them. He promises to make me easy, if I will but come and see him; but I won't, and he shall do it by message, or I will cast him off. I will tell you the cause of our quarrel when I see you, and refer it to yourselves. In that he did something, which he intended for a favour, and I have taken it quite otherwise, disliking both the thing and the manner, and it has heartily vexed me; and all I have said is truth, though it looks like jest: and I absolutely refused to submit to his intended favour, and expect farther satisfaction."
In a subsequent part of the Journal he acquaints Stella with the cause of quarrel.
"Yes, I understand a cipher, and Ppt[1] guesses right, as she always does. He gave me al bsadnnk lboinlpt dfaonr ufainfbtoy dpeonufnad[2]; which I sent him again by Mr. Lewis, to whom I wrote a very complaining letter, that was showed him, and so the
- ↑ Stella.
- ↑ This is a sort of cipher, in which, to disguise the words, superflous letters are introduced; and the way to read it is to pass over those letters, and retain only such as will make out words and sense, in the following manner, where the letters to be retained are capitals. Al BsAdNnK lBoInLpt dFaOnR uFaInFbToY dPeOnUrNaD. That is, A Bank Bill for fifty pound.
