and kiffing, with as great raptures as fometimes inspire the fage dame of forty and five towards a youthful and vigorous bridegroom, crying out in a fhrill voice: O the dear little creature, the dear, fweet, pretty creature! Well, I vow, it is as fine a boy as ever was feen!

Thefe exclamations continued, 'till they were interrupted by the lady, who now proceeded to execute the commission given her by her brother, and gave orders for providing all neceffaries for the child, appointing a very good room in the house for his nursery. Her orders were indeed fo liberal, that, had it been a child of her own, fhe could not have exceeded them but, left the virtuous reader may condemn her for fhewing too great regard to a base-born infant, to which all charity is condemned by law as irreligious, we think proper to observe, that she concluded the whole with faying, fince it was her brother's whim to adopt the little brat, fhe fuppofed little mafter must be treated with great tenderness for her part, fhe could not help thinking it was an encouragement to vice; but that she knew too much of the obstinacy of mankind to oppofe any of their ridiculous. humours.

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With reflections of this nature fhe ufually, as hath been hinted, accompanied every act of compliance with her brother's inclinations; and

furely nothing could more contribute to heighten the merit of this compliance, than a declaration, that the knew, at the fame time, the folly and unreasonablenefs of thofe inclinations to which the fubmitted. Tacit obedience implies no force upon the will, and, confequently, may be easily, and without any pains, preserved; but when a wife, a child, a relation, or a friend, performs what we defire, with grumbling and reluctance, with expreflions of dislike and diffatisfaction, the manifeft difficulty which they undergo, must greatly enhance the obligation.

As this is one of thofe deep observations which very few readers can be fuppofed capable of making themselves, I have thought proper to lend them my affiftance; but this is a favour rarely to be expected in the course of my work. Indeed, I fhall feldom or never fo indulge him, unless in fuch inftances as this, where nothing but the infpiration with which we writers are gifted, can poffibly enable any one to make the discovery.

CHAP. V I.

'Mrs. Deborah is introduced into the parish with

a fimile. with the difficulties and difcouragements which may attend young women in the pursuit of learning.

A fhort account of Jenny Jones,

MR

RS. Deborah, having difpofed of the child according to the will of her master, now prepared to visit thofe habitations which were fuppofed to conceal its mother.

Not otherwife than when a kite, tremendous bird, is beheld by the feathered generation, foaring aloft, and hovering over their heads ; the amorous dove, and every innocent little bird, fpread wide the alarm, and fly trembling to their hiding-places. He proudly beats the air, confcious of his dignity, and meditates intended mischief.

So when the approach of Mrs. Deborah was proclaimed through the ftreet, all the inhabitants ran trembling into their houses, each matron dreading left the vifit fhould fall to her lor She with ftately steps proudly advances over the field; aloft fhe bears her tow'ring head, filled with conceit of her own preeminence, and fchemes to effect her intended discovery.

The fagacious reader will not, from this fimile, imagine thefe poor people had any apprehenfion of the defign with which Mrs. Wilkins was now coming towards them; but as the great beauty of the fimile may poffibly fleep thefe hundred years, till fome future commentator fhall take this work in hand, I think proper to lend the reader a little affiftance in this place.

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It is my intention, therefore, to fignify, that, as it is the nature of kite to devour little birds, fo is it the nature of fuch perfons as Mrs. Wilkins to infult and tyrannize over little people this being indeed the means which they use to recompenfe to themselves their extreme fervility and condefcenfion to their fuperiors; for nothing can be more reasonable, than that flaves and flatterers fhould exact the fame taxes on all below them, which they themselves pay to all above them,

Whenever Mrs. Deborah had occafion to exert any extraordinary condefcenfion to Mrs. Bridget, and by that means had a little foured her natural difpofition, it was ufual with her to walk forth among thefe people, in order to refine her temper, by venting, and, as it were purging off all ill humours; on which account, fhe was by no means a welcome vifitant: to say the truth, she was univerfally dreaded and hated by them all.

On her arrival in this place, she went immediately to the habitation of an elderly matron; to whom, as this matron had the good fortune to refemble herself in the comeliness of her person, as well as in her as well as in her age, fhe had generally been more favourable than to any of the reft. To this woman fhe imparted what had happened, and the defign upon which she was come thither that morning. Thefe two began prefently to fcrutinize the characters of the feveral young girls, who lived in any of those houfes, and at laft fixed their strongest fufpicion:

one Jenny Jones, who they both agreed: was the likelieft perfon to have committed this fact.

This Jenny Jones was no very comely girl, either in her face or perfon; but nature had: fomewhat compenfated the want of beauty with what is generally more esteemed by thofe ladies, whofe judgment is arrived at years of perfect maturity; for fhe had given her a very uncommon fhare of understanding. This gift Jenny had a good deal improved by erudition. She had lived feveral years a fervant with a school-master, who difcovering a great quickness of parts in the girl, and an extraordinary defire of learning, (for every leifure hour fhe was always found reading in the books of the fcholars) had the good-nature, or folly (juft as the reader pleases