The Coquette

Major Sanford sends a note asking to visit Eliza. Mrs. Wharton tells her to trust her own judgment, and Julia sees no harm in talking with him: because he’s married, he is no longer able to seek her as a lover. 

They invite Sanford in. He says that he needed to see her to alleviate the torment of his mind. Eliza treats him coldly, which he acknowledges he deserves. He tells her that his heart still belongs to Eliza, despite his marriage to Nancy. He intended to prevent Eliza from marrying another until he could improve his fortunes enough to marry Eliza and take care of her. Sanford begs her forgiveness and weeps. 

Eliza pities him deeply; she forgives him on the condition that he no longer expresses his passion for her. He agrees, only asking Eliza to be a friend to his wife. She denies this request, at least for the present. By the end of the letter, she begins to feel relief from her depression.

Eliza is quickly becoming her old, cheerful self, but in a more sober manner. Julia worries that Eliza will swing back into her old ways. She indicates that Eliza shows “indications of a mind not perfectly right” but hopes that soon her “passions will vibrate with regularity” (121).