In the following passage from Letter 40, addressed to Mrs. Vernon, Lady De Courcey reflects on her son's near miss and expresses gratitude that he did not enter into courtship or marriage with Lady Susan. In doing so, she employs imagery to emphasize the wide range of her emotions:
It has been a sad, heavy winter hitherto, without Reginald, and seeing nobody from Churchill; I never found the season so dreary before, but this happy meeting will make us young again.
It is incredibly common to see nature—particularly changing weather or seasons—associated with changing events in a character's life or a shift in emotion and feeling. In the above passage, Lady De Courcey conveys her relief that Reginald De Courcey is no longer associating with Lady Susan. In doing so, Lady De Courcey utilizes imagery to paint the picture of emotional highs and lows experienced during this turbulent time in her life. Winter, for her, signifies an emotional low point—a depressive period, during which Lady Susan held a great deal of influence over Reginald. It follows from this that spring signifies entrance into a better time, a time of positive transition and change. Though Lady De Courcey does not reference spring by name, she does make a statement about becoming "young again," evoking spring, growth, and renewal.
