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Sophia ?-Then I will confefs the Truth. I was pleased with my Man. I was pleased with < my Conqueft. To rival my Aunt delighted me; to rival fo many other Women charmed me. In 'fhort, I am afraid, I did not behave as I fhould do, even upon the very firft Declaration.-I with I did not almoft give him pofitive Encouragement before we parted.

The Bath now talked loudly, I might almost fay, roared against me. Several young Wo6 men affected to fhun my Acquaintance, not fo much, perhaps, from any real Sufpicion, as from a Defire of banishing me from a Company, in ⚫ which I too much engroffed their favourite Man. And here I cannot omit expreffing my Gratitude to the Kindness intended me by Mr. Nafh; who took me one Day afide, and gave me Advice, which if I had followed, I had been a happy Woman. "Child," fays he, "I am forry to fee the Familiarity which fubfifts be66 tween you and a Fellow who is altogether unworthy of you, and I am afraid will prove your Ruin. As for your old ftinking Aunt, if "it was to be no Injury to you, and my pretty "Sophy Wefern, (I aflure you I repeat his Words) "I fhould be heartily glad, that the Fellow was "in Poffeffion of all that belongs to her. I never "advise old Women: For if they take it into "their Heads to go to the Devil, it is no more "poffible, than worth while, to keep them from "him. Innocence and Youth and Beauty are "worthy a better Fate, and I would fave them "from his Clutches. Let me advife you therefore, "dear Child, never fuffer this Fellow to be particular with you again."-Many more Things he

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faid

· faid to me, which I have now forgotten, and indeed I attended very little to them at that Time: For Inclination contradicted all he faid; and befides I could not be perfuaded, that Women of Quality would condefcend to Familiarity with fuch a Perfon as he described.

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But I am afraid, my Dear, I fhall tire you with a Detail of fo many minute Circumftances. To be concife therefore, imagine me married; imagine me, with my Husband, at the Feet of my Aunt; and then imagine the maddeft Woman in Bedlam in a raving Fit, and your Imagination will fuggeft to you no more than what really happened.

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The very next Day my Aunt left the Place, partly to avoid feeing Mr. Fitzpatrick or myfelf, and as much perhaps to avoid seeing any, one elfe; for, tho' I am told fhe hath fince denied every thing ftoutly, I believe she was then : a little confounded at her Difappointment. < Since that Time I have written to her many Letters; but never could obtain an Answer, which 1 muft own fits fomewhat the heavier, as fhe herfelf was, tho' undefignedly, the Occa-, fion of all my Sufferings: For had it not been under the Colour of paying his Addreffes to her, Mr. Fitzpatrick would never have found fufficient Opportunities to have engaged my Heart, which, in other Circumftances, I ftill fatter myfelf would not have been an easy Conqueft to fuch a Perfon. Indeed, I believe, "I should not have erred fo grofly in my Choice, If I had relied on my own Judgment; but I trufted totally to the Opinion of others, and very foolishly took the Merit of a Man for granted, whom I faw fo univerfally well re

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ceived by the Women. What is the Reafon, my Dear, that we who have Understandings equal to the wifeft and greatest of the other Sex, fo often make Choice of the fillieft Fellows for Companions and Favourites? It raifes my Indignation to the highest Pitch, to reflect on the Numbers of Women of Senfe who have been undone by Fools.' Here the paùfed a Moment; but Sophia making no Anfwer, fhe proceeded as in the next Chapter.

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CHAP. V.

In which the Hiftory of Mrs. Fitzpatrick is continued.

E remained at Bath no longer than

W.

a Fortnight after our Wedding: For · as to any Reconciliation with my Aunt, there were no Hopes; and of my Fortune, not one € Farthing could be touched till I was of Age, of which I now wanted more than two Years. My Husband therefore was refolved to fet out for Ireland; against which I remonstrated very earnestly, and infifted on a Promife which he had made me before our Marriage, that I • should never take this Journey against my Confent; and indeed I never intended to confent to it; nor will any Body, I believe, blame me for that Refolution; but this, however, I never mentioned to my Hufband, and petitioned only for the Reprieve of a Month; but he had fixed the Day, and to that Day he obftinately • adhered.

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The Evening before our Departure, as we were difputing this Point with great Eagerness

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on both Sides, he started fuddenly from his Chair, and left me abruptly, faying, he was going to the Rooms. He was hardly out of the House, when I faw a Paper lying on the • Floor, which, I fuppofe, he had carelefly pulled from his Pocket, together with his Handkerchief. This Paper I took up, and finding it to be a Letter, I made no Scruple to open and read it; and indeed I read it fo often, that I 6 can repeat it to you almoft Word for Word. This then was the Letter.

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Sir,

To Mr. Brian Fitzpatrick.

You

OURS received, and am furprized you fhould use me in this Manner, as have "never feen any of your Cafh, unless for one "Linfey-Woolfey Coat, and your Bill now is "upwards of 150. Confider, Sir, how often "you have fobbed me off with your being shortly

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to be married to this Lady, and t'other Lady; "but I can neither live on Hopes or Promifes, nor will my Woollen-draper take any fuch in Payment. You tell me you are fecure of having either the Aunt or the Niece, and "that you might have married the Aunt before

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this, whofe Jointure you fay is immenfe, but

that you prefer the Niece on account of her "ready Money. Pray, Sir, take a Fool's Ad"vice for once, and marry the firft you can get. "You will pardon my offering my Advice, as

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you know I fincerely wifh you well. Shall "draw on you per next Poft, in favour of Meffieurs John Drugget and Company, at four

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teen

"teen Days, which doubt not your honouring,

<< and am,

Sir,

Your humble Servant,

SAM. COSGRAVE.

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This was the Letter Word for Word. Guess, my dear Girl, guess how this Letter affected me. You prefer the Niece on account of her. Ready Money! If every one of these Words had been a Dagger, I could with Pleasure have ftabbed them into his Heart; but I will not re་ count my frantic Behaviour on the Occafion. I had pretty well spent my Tears before his • Return home; but fufficient Remains of them ' appeared in my fwollen Eyes. He threw himfelf fullenly into his Chair, and for a long Time we were both filent. At length in a haughty Tone he faid, "I hope, Madam, "your Servants have packed up all your Things; "for the Coach will be ready by Six in the Morning." My Patience was totally fubdued by 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 moft bitter Language I • could invent.

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Whether Guilt, or Shame, or Prudence, reftrained him, I cannot fay; but tho' he is the moft paffionate of Men, he exerted no Rage on this Occafion. He endeavoured on the contrary to pacify me by the moft gentle Means. He swore 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

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