this provocation, and I answered no, Sir, there is a letter ftill remains unpacked; and then throwing it on the table, I fell to upbraiding him with the most bitter language I could invent.

He

Whether guilt, or fhame, or prudence, reftrained him, I cannot fay; but though he is the moft paffionate of men, he exerted no rage on this occafion. ⚫ endeavoured on the contrary to pacify me by the moft gentle means. He fwore the phrafe in the letter to which I principally objected, was not his, nor had he ever written any fuch. He owned indeed the having mentioned his marriage, and that preference which he had given to myself, but denied with many oaths the having affigned any fuch reafon. And he excufed the having mentioned any fuch matter at all, on account of the ftraits he was in for money, arifing, he faid, from his having too long neglected his eftate in Ireland. And this, he faid, which he could not bear to discover to me, was the only reafon of his having fo ftrenuoufly infifted on our journey. He then ufed ⚫ feveral very endearing expreffions, and concluded by a very fond carefs, and many violent proteftations of

love.

There was one circumftance, which, though he did not appeal to it, had much weight with me in his favour; and that was the word jointure, in the taylors letter; whereas my aunt never had been married, and this Mr. Fitzpatrick well knew. As I imagined therefore that the fellow must have inferted this of his own head or from hearfay, I perfuaded myfelf he might have ventured likewife on that odious line on no better authority. What reafoning was this, my dear? was I not an advocate rather than a judge But why do I mention fuch a circumftance as this, or appeal to it for the juftification of my forgiveness?

t

In fhort, had he been guilty of twenty times as much, half the tenderness and fondness which he used, would have prevailed on me to have forgiven him. I now made no farther objections to our fetting out, which we did the next morning, and in a little more than a week, arrived at the feat of Mr. Fitzpatrick.

• Your

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4

Your curiofity will excufe me from relating any occurrences which paft during our journey for it, would indeed be highly difagreeable to travel it over again, and no lefs fo to you to travel it over with

me.

This feat, then, is an ancient manfion-houfe: if I was in one of thofe merry humours, in which you have fo often feen me, I could defcribe it to you ri diculously enough. It looked as if it had been formerly inhabited by a gentleman. Here was room enough, and not the lefs room on account of the furniture; for indeed there was very little in it. An 'old woman, who feemed coeval with the building, and greatly refembled her whom Chamont mentions in the Orphan, received us at the gate, and in a howl fcarce ◄ human, and to me unintelligible, welcomed her master home. In fhort, the whole fcene was fo gloomy and melancholy, that it threw my fpirits into the lowest. dejection; which my hufband difcerning, inftead of relieving, increased by two or three malicious obfer-. ⚫vations.' "There are good houfes, Madam," fays he, as you find, in other places befides England; "but perhaps you had rather be in a dirty lodging at "Bath.' ""

Happy, my dear, is the woman, who in any ftate. of life, hath a cheerful good-natured companion to fupport and comfort her; but why do I reflect on happy fituations only to aggravate my own mifery! my companion, far from clearing up the gloom of folitude, foon convinced me, that I must have been wretched with him in any place, and in any condition. In a word, he was a furly fellow; a character perhaps you have never feen: for indeed no woman ever fees it exemplified, but in a father, a brother, or a husband; and though you have a father, he is not of that character. This furly fellow had formerly appeared to me the very reverfe, and fo he did ftill to every other perfon. Good heaven! how is it poffible for a man to maintain a conftant lie in his appearance abroad and in company, and to content himfelf with fhewing disagreeable truth only at home? Here, my dear, they make themselves

• amends

amends for the uneafy reftraint which they put on their tempers in the world; for I have obferved the more merry gay and good humoured my hufband hath at any time been in company, the more fullen and morofe he was fure to become at our next private meeting. How fhall I defcribe his barbarity? To my fondnefs he was cold and infenfible. My lit tle comical ways, which you, my Sophy, and which others have called fo agreeable, he treated with contempt. In my moft ferious moments, he fung and whiftled; and whenever I was thoroughly dejected and miferable, he was angry and abufed me for though he was never pleased with my good humour, nor afcribed it to my fatisfaction in him; yet my low fpirits always offended him, and thofe he imputed to my repentance of having (as he faid) married an Arifh

man.

You will eafily conceive, my dear Graveairs; (I afk your pardon, I really forgot myfelf) that when a woman makes an imprudent match in the fenfe of the world; that is, when he is not an arrant proftitute to pecuniary intereft, fhe muft neceffarily have fome inclination and affection for her man.You will as eafily believe that this affection may poffibly be leffened; nay, I do affure you, contempt will wholly eradicate it. This contempt I now be gan to entertain for my husband, whom I now dif covered to be-I muft ufe the expreffion

an ar

rant blockhead. Perhaps you will wonder I did not make this difcovery long before; but women will fuggeft a thousand excufes to themfelves for the folly of thofe they like: befides, give me leave to tell you, it requires a moft penetrating eye to difcern a fool through the difguifes of gaiety and goodbreeding.

It will be eafily imagined, that when I once defpifed my hufband, as I confefs to you I foon did, I must confequently diflike his company; and indeed I had the happinefs of being very little trou⚫bled with it; for our houfe was now moft elegantly furnished, our cellars well stocked, and dogs and horfes provided in great abundarce. As my gen

tleman

deman therefore entertained his neighbours with great hofpitality; fo his neighbours reforted to him with great alacrity; and fports and drinking confumed fo much of his time, that a fmall part of his converfation, that is to fay, of his ill-humours, fell to my share.

Happy would it have been for me, if I could as eafily have avoided all other difagreeable company; but, alas! I was confined to fome which conftantly tormented me; and the more, as I faw no profpect of being relieved from them. Thefe companions. were my y own racking thoughts, which plagued, and, in a manner, haunted me night and day. In this fituation I paft through a fcene, the horrors of which can neither be painted nor imagined. Think," my dear, figure, if you can, to yourfelf, what I • must have undergone. I became a mother by the man Ifcorned, hated, and detefted. I went through all the agonies and miferies of a lying-in, (ten times more painful in fuch a circumftance, than the worft labour can be, when one endures it for a man one loves) in a defert, or rather indeed a feene of riot and revel, without a friend, without a companion, or without any of thofe agreeable circumftances which often alleviate, and perhaps, fometimes more than compenfate the fufferings of our fex at that feafon.

CHA P. VF.

In which the miflake of the landlord throws Sophia into dreadful confternation.

RS. Fitzpatrick was proceeding in her narra

MRS tive, when fhe was interrupted by the entrance of

dinner, greatly to the concern of Sophia: for the misfortunes of her friend had raised her anxiety, and left her no appetite, but what Mrs. Fitzpatrick was to fatisfy by her relation.

The landlord now attended with a plate under his arm, and with the fame refpect in his countenance and

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addrefs

address which he would have put on, had the ladies arrived in a coach and fix.

The married lady feemed lefs affected with her own misfortunes than was her coufin: for the former eat very heartily, whereas the latter could hardly fwallow a morfel. Sophia likewife fhewed more concern and forrow in her countenance than appeared in the other lady; who having obferved these fymptoms in her friend, begged her to be comforted, faying, perhaps all may yet end better than either you or I expect.'

Our landlord thought he had now an opportunity to open his mouth, and was refolved not to omit it.I am forry, Madam,' cries he, that your ladyfhip. can't eat; for to be fure you must be hungry after fo long fafting. I hope your ladyship is not uneafy at any thing, for, as madam there fays, all may end better than any body expects. A gentleman who was here juft now, brought excellent news; and perhaps fome folks who have given other folks. the flip, may get to London before they are overtaken; and if they do, I make no doubt, but they will find people who will be very ready to receive them.'

All perfons under the apprehenfion of danger convert whatever they fee and hear into the objects of that apprehenfion. Sophia, therefore, immediately concluded, from the foregoing fpeech, that fhe was known and pursued by her father. She was now ftruck with the utmoft confternation, and for a few minutes deprived of the power of fpeech; which the no fooner recovered, than fhe defired the landlord to fend his fervants out of the room, and then addreffing herself to him, faid, I perceive, Sir, you know who we are; but I beseech you--nay, Ι am convinced, if you have any compaffion or goodnefs, you will not betray

us.'

I betray your ladyfhip!' quoth the landlord no; (and then he fwore feveral very hearty oaths) I would fooner be cut into ten thousand pieces. L hate all treachery. I! I never betrayed any one in my life yet, and I am fure I fhall not begin with

fo