If fuch be your opinion of me, I must pray for a fudden opportunity of returning those pecuniary obligations, which I have been fo unfortunate to ' receive at your hands; and for those of a more tender kind, I fhall ever remain, &c.' And fo concluded in the very words with which he had concluded the former letter.

The lady answered as follows:

'I fee you are a villain; and I despise you from my 'foul. If you come here, I shall not be at home.'

Though Jones was well fatisfied with his deliverance from a thraldom which those, who have ever experienced it, will, I apprehend, allow to be none of the lighteft, he was not, however, perfectly easy in his mind. There was in this fcheme too much of fallacy to fatisfy one who utterly detefted every species of falsehood or difhonefty; nor would he, indeed, have fubmitted to put it in practice, had he not been involved in a distressful fituation, where he was obliged to be guilty of fome difhonour, either to the one lady or the other; and furely the reader will allow, that every good principle, as well as love, pleaded ftrongly in favour of Sophia.

Nightingale highly exulted in the fuccefs of his ftratagem, upon which he received many thanks, and much applause from his friend. He answered: 'Dear Tom, we have conferred very different obligations

you

on each other. To me you owe the regaining your liberty; to you I owe the lofs of mine. But if are as happy in the one inftance as I am in the other, I promise you, we are the two happiest fel'lows in England.'

The two gentlemen were now fummoned down to dinner, where Mrs. Miller, who performed herself the office of cook, had exerted her beft talents, to celebrate the wedding of her daughter. This joyful circumftance she afcribed principally to the friendly behaviour of Jones, her whole foul was fired with gratitude towards him, and all her looks, words, and actions, were fo bufied in expreffing it, that the daughter, and even her new fon-in-law, were very little the objects of her confideration.

Dinner was just ended when Mrs. Miller received a letter; but as we have had letters enough in this chapter, we fhall communicate the contents in our

Confifting partly of facts, and partly of obfervations upon them.

THE

HE letter then which arrived at the end of the preceding chapter was from Mr. Allworthy, and the purport of it was his intention to come immediately to town, with his nephew Blifil, and a defire to be accommodated with his ufual lodgings, which were the first floor for himself, and the second for his nephew.

The cheerfulness which had before difplayed itself in the countenance of the poor woman, was a little clouded on this occafion. This news did indeed a good deal difconcert her. To requite fo difinterested a match with her daughter, by presently turning her new fon-in-law out of doors, appeared to her very unjustifiable on the one hand; and on the other, fhe

could

could scarce bear the thoughts of making any excuse to Mr. Allworthy, after all the obligations received from him, for depriving him of lodgings which were indeed ftrictly his due: for that gentleman, in conferring all his numberless benefits on others, acted by a rule diametrically oppofite to what is practised by moft generous people. He contrived, on all occafions, to hide his beneficence not only from the world, but even from the object of it. He conftantly used the words Lend and Pay, instead of Give; and by every other method he could invent, always leffened with his tongue the favours he conferred, while he was heaping them with both his hands. When he settled the annuity of 50 l. a year, therefore, on Mrs. Miller, he told her: it was in confideration of always having her firft-floor when he was in town, (which he scarce ever intended to be) but that she might let it at any other time, for that he would alC ways fend her a month's warning.' He was now, however, hurried to town so fuddenly that he had no opportunity of giving fuch notice; and this hurry probably prevented him, when he wrote for his lodgings, adding, if they were then empty: for he would moft certainly have been well fatisfied to have relinquished them on a lefs fufficient excufe than what Mrs. Miller could now have made.

But there are a fort of perfons, who, as Prior excellently well remarks, direct their conduct by fomething

Beyond the fix'd and fettled rules
Of vice and virtue in the schools,
Beyond the letter of the law.

To these it is fo far from being fufficient that their defence would acquit them at the Old - Bailey, that they are not even contented, though confcience, the fevereft of all judges, fhould discharge them. Nothing fhort of the fair and honourable will fatisfy the delicacy of their minds; and if any of their actions fall fhort of this mark, they mope and pine, are as uneafy and restless as a murderer, who is afraid of a ghoft, or of the hangman.

Mrs. Miller was one of these. She could not conceal her uneafinefs at this letter; with the contents of which fhe had no fooner acquainted the company, and given fome hints of her distress, than Jones, her good angel, presently relieved her anxiety. As for myself, Madam,' faid he, my lodging is at your ' service at a moment's warning: and Mr. Nightingale, I am fure, as he cannot yet prepare a house 'fit to receive his lady, will consent to return to his " new lodging, whither Mrs. Nightingale will cer tainly confent to go. With which propofal both hufband and wife inftantly agreed.

The reader will eafily believe, that the cheeks of Mrs. Miller began again to glow with additional gratitude to Jones; but, perhaps, it may be more difficult to perfuade him, that Mr. Jones having, in his laft fpeech, called her daughter Mrs. Nightingale, (it being the first time that agreeable found had ever reached her ears) gave the fond mother more fatiffaction, and warmed her heart more towards Jones, than his having diffipated her present anxiety.

The next day was then appointed for the removal of the new-married couple, and of Mr. Jones, who was likewise to be provided for in the same house with

his friend. And now the ferenity of the company was again restored, and they paft the day in the utmost cheerfulness, all except Jones, who, though he outwardly accompanied the reft in their mirth, felt many a bitter pang on the account of his Sophia; which were not a little heightened by the news of Mr. Blifil's coming to town, (for he clearly faw the intention of his journey:) and what greatly aggravated his concern was, that Mrs. Honour, who had promifed to enquire after Sophia, and to make her report to him early the next evening, had disappointed him.

In the fituation that he and his miftrefs were in at this time, there were scarce any grounds for him to hope, that he should hear any good news; yet he was as impatient to fee Mrs. Honour, as if he had expected fhe would bring him a letter with an affignation in it from Sophia, and bore the disappointment as ill. Whether this impatience arose from that natural weakness of the human mind, which makes it defirous to know the worft, and renders uncertainty the most intolerable of pains; or whether he ftill flattered himself with fome fecret hopes, we will not determine. But that it might be the laft, whoever has loved cannot but know. For of all the powers exercised by this paffion over our minds, one of the most wonderful is that of fupporting hope in the midst of defpair. Difficulties, improbabilities, nay impoffibilities are quite overlooked by it; fo that to any man extremely in love, may be applied what Addison fays of Cæfar:

The Alps and Pyrenæans sink before him.