irkfome than to fupport Love with Gratitude only; efpecially where Inclination pulls the Heart a contrary Way. Such was the unhappy Cafe of Fones; for tho' the virtuous Love he bore to Sɔphia, and which left very little Affection for any other Woman, had been entirely out of the Question, he could never have been able to have made an adequate Return to the generous Paffion of this Lady, who had indeed been once an Object of Defire; but was now entered at least into the Autumn of Life; though fhe wore all the Gayety of Youth both in her Drefs and Manner; nay, fhe contrived ftill to maintain the Rofes in her Cheeks; but thefe, like Flowers forced out of Seafon by Art, had none of that lively blooming Freshness with which Nature, at the proper Time, bedecks her own Productions. She had, befides, a certain Imperfection, which renders fome Flowers, tho' very beautiful to the Eye, very improper to be placed in a Wilderness of Sweets, and what above all others is most difagreeable to the Breath of Love.

Though Jones faw all these Difcouragements on the one Side, he felt his Obligations full as ftrongly on the other; nor did he lefs plainly difcern the ardent Paffion whence thofe Obligations proceeded, the extreme Violence of which if he failed to equal, he well knew the Lady would think him ungrateful; and, what is worse, he would have thought himself fo. He knew the tacit Confideration upon which all her Favours were conferred; and as his Neceffity obliged him to accept them, fo his Honour, he concluded, forced him to pay the Price. This therefore he refolved to do, whatever Mifery it coft him, and to devote himself to her, from that great Principle of

N 3

Juftice,

Juftice, by which the Laws of fome. Countries oblige a Debtor who is no otherwise capable of difcharging his Debt, to become the Slave of his Creditor.

While he was meditating on thefe Matters, he received the following Note from the Lady.

A very fool fh, but a very perverse Accident hath happened fince our laft Meeting, which makes it improper I fhould fee you any more at the ufual Place. I will, if poffible, contrive fome other Place by To-morrow. In the mean Time, Adieu.'

This Difappointment, perhaps, the Reader may conclude was not very great; but if it was, he was quickly relieved; for in lefs than an Hour afterwards another Note was brought him from the fame Hand, which contained as follows.

I have altered my Mind fince I wrote, a Change, which if you are no Stranger to the tendereft of all Paffions, you will not wonder at. I am now refolved to fee you this Evening, at my own Houfe, whatever may be the Confequence. Come to me exactly at feven; I dine abroad, but will be at Home by that Time. A Day, I find, to thofe that fincerely love feems longer than I imagined.

• If you fhould accidentally be a few Moments before me, bid them fhew you into the Drawing-Room."

To confefs the Truth, Jones was lefs pleafed with this laft Epistle, than he had been with the former, as he was prevented by it from complying with the carneft Entreaties of Mr. Nightingale, with whom he had now contracted much Intimacy and Friendship. Thefe Entreaties were to go with that young Gentleman and his Company

to

271 to a new Play, which was to be acted that Evening, and which a very large Party had agreed to damn, from fome Diflike they had taken to the Author, who was a Friend to one of Mr. Nightingale's Acquaintance. And this Sort of Funn, our Heroe, we are afhamed to confefs, would willingly have preferred to the above kind Appointment; but his Honour got the better of his Inclination.

Before we attend him to this intended Interview with the Lady, we think proper to account for both the preceding Notes, as the Reader may poffibly be not a little furprized at the Imprudence of Lady Bellafton in bringing her Lover to the very Houfe where her Rival was lodged.

Firft then, the Miftrefs of the Houfe where thefe Lovers had hitherto met, and who had been for fome Years a Penfioner to that Lady, was now become a Methodift, and had that very Morning waited upon her Lady fhip, and after rebuking her very feverely for her paft Life, had pofitively declared, that the would, on no Account, be inftrumental in carrying on any of her Affairs for the future.

The Hurry of Spirits into which this Accident threw the Lady, made her defpair of poffibly finding any other Convenience to meet Jones that Evening; but as the began a little to recover from her Uneafinefs at the Disappointment, the fet her Thoughts to work, when luckily it came into her Head to propofe to Sophia to go to the Play, which was immediately confented to, and a proper Lady provided for her Companion. Mrs. Honour was likewife difpatched with Mrs. Etoff on the fame Errand of Pleafure; and thus her own N 4

Houfe

House was left free for the fafe Reception of Mr. Jones, with whom the promised herself two or three Hours of uninterrupted Converfation, after her Return from the Place where fhe dined, which was at a Friend's House in a pretty distant Part of the Town, near her old Place of Affignation, where fhe had engaged herself before fhe was well apprized of the Revolution that had happened in the Mind and Morals of her late Confidante.

CHA P. X.

AChapter which, tho' fhort, may draw Tears from Some Eyes.

R. Fenes was juft drefs'd to wait on Lady Bellafton, when Mrs. Miller rapp'd at his Door; and being admitted, very earnestly defired his Company below Stairs to drink Tea in the

Parlour.

Upon his Entrance into the Room, she prefently introduced a Perfon to him, faying, This Sir, is my Coufin, who hath been fo greatly beholden to your Goodness, for which he begs to return you his fincereft Thanks.'

The Man had scarce entered upon that Speech, which Mrs. Miller had fo kindly prefaced, when both Jones and he looking steadfastly at each other, showed at once the utmost Tokens of Surprize. The Voice of the latter began inftantly to faulter; and, inftead of finishing his Speech, he funk down into a Chair, crying, It is fo, I am convinced it is fo!"

Blefs me, what's the Meaning of this, cries • Mrs. Miller, you are not ill, I hope, Coufin? Some Water, a Dram this Inftant.

Be not frighted, Madam, cries Jones, I have almost as much Need of a Dram as your Cou

• fin.

fin. We are equally furprized at this unex•pected Meeting. Your Coufin is an Acquaintance of mine, Mrs. Miller.

An Acquaintance! cries the Man.-Oh • Heaven!'

Ay, an Acquaintance, repeated Jones, and an honoured Acquaintance too. When I do

not love and honour the Man who dares ven▾ 6 ture every thing to preserve his Wife and Children from inftant Destruction, may I have a • Friend capable of difowning me in Adverfity.'

O you are an excellent young Man, cries Mrs. Miller,-yes, indeed, poor Creature! he` hath ventured every thing-If he had not had ¿ one of the best of Conftitutions, it must have killed him.'

Coufin, cries the Man, who had now pretty well recovered himfelf; this is the Angel from Heaven whom I meant. This is he to whom before I faw you, I owed the Preservation of my Peggy. He it was to whofe Generofity every, Comfort, every Support which I have procured for her, was owing. He is indeed the worthieft, braveft, nobleft of all human Beings. O Coufin, I have Obligations to this Gentle'man of fuch a Nature!

Mention nothing of Obligations,' cries Jones eagerly, not a Word, I infift upon it, not a Word.' (Meaning, I suppose, that he would not have him betray the Affair of the Robbery to any Perfon) If by the Trifle you have

received from me, I have preserved a whole Family, fure Pleasure was never bought fo cheap.?

O, Sir, cries the Man, I wish you could. this Inftant fee my Houfe. If any Person had

N 5

ever