CHA P. IX.

The Morning introduced in Some pretty Writing. A Stage-Coach. The Civility of Chambermaids. The heroic Temper of Sophia. Her Generofity. The Return to it. The Departure of the Company, and their Arrival at London; with Some Remarks for the Use of Travellers.

THOSE members of the fociety, who are born to furnish the bleffings of life, now began to light their candles, in order to pursue their daily labors, for the use of those who are born to enjoy thefe bleffings. The fturdy hind now attends the levee of his fellow laborer the ox; the cunning. artificer, the diligent mechanic, fpring from their hard mattress; and now the bonny housemaid begins to repair the difordered drum-room, while the riotous authors of that disorder, in broken interrupted flumbers, tumble and tofs, as if the hardnefs of down difquieted their repose.

In fimple phrafe, the clock had no fooner ftruck feven, than the Ladies were ready for their journey; and, at their defire, his Lordship and his equipage were prepared to attend them.

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And now a matter of fome difficulty arofe; and this was, how his Lordship himself should be conveyed for though in ftage coaches, where passengers are properly confidered as fo much luggage, the ingenious coachman ftows half a

dozen with perfect ease into the place of four; for well he contrives that the fat hoftefs, or well-fed alderman, may take up no more room than the flim Mifs, or taper Master; it being the nature of guts, when well fqueezed, to give way, and to lie in a narrow compass; yet in the vehicles which are called, for distinction-fake, gentlemen's coaches, tho' they are often larger than the others, this method of packing is never attempted.

His Lordship would have put a fhort end to the difficulty, by very gallantly defiring to mount his horfe; but Mrs. Fitzpatrick would by no means confent to it. It was therefore concluded that the Abigails should by turns relieve each other on one of his Lordship's horfes, which was prefently equipped with a fide-faddle for that purpose.

Every thing being fettled at the inn, the Ladies discharged their former guides, and Sophia made a present to the landlord, partly to repair the bruise which he had received under herfelf, and partly on account of what he had fuffered under the hands of her enraged waiting-woman. And now Sophia first discovered a lofs which gave her fome uneafinefs; and this was of the hundred pound bank-bill which her father had given her at their last meeting; and which, within a very inconfiderable trifle, was all the treasure she was at present worth. She searched every where, and shook and tumbled all her things to no purpofe; the bill was not to be found: and he was at laft fully perfuaded that

she had loft it from her pocket, when she had the misfortune of tumbling from her horse in the dark lane, as before recorded: a fact that feemed the more probable, as fhe now recollected fome difcompofure in her pockets which had happened at that time, and the great difficulty with which she had drawn forth her handkerchief the very instant before her fall, in order to relieve the distress of Mrs. Fitzpatrick.

Misfortunes of this kind, whatever inconveniences they may be attended with, are incapable of fubduing a mind in which there is any ftrength, without the affiftance of avarice. Sophia therefore, tho' nothing could be worse timed than this accident, at fuch a season, immediately got the better of her concern, and with her wonted ferenity and cheerfulness of countenance, returned to her company. His Lordship conducted the Ladies into the vehicle, as he did likewife Mrs. Honor, who, after many civilities, and more dear Madams, at last yielded, to the well-bred importunities of her fifter Abigail, and fubmitted to be complimented with the first ride in the coach; in which indeed fhe would afterwards have been contented to have purfued her whole journey, had not her Mistress, after several fruitless intimations, at length forced her to take her turn on horseback.

The coach now, having received its company, began to move forwards, attended by many servants, and by two led captains, who had before rode with his Lordship, and who would have been difmiffed

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from the vehicle upon a much lefs worthy occafion, than was this of accommodating two Ladies. In this they acted only as gentlemen; but they were ready at any time to have performed the office of a footman, or indeed would have condefcended lower, for the honor of his Lordship's company. and for the convenience of his table.

My landlord was fo pleafed with the prefent he had received from Sophia, that he rather rejoiced in than regretted his bruife, or his fcratches. The Reader will perhaps be curious to know the Quantum of this prefent; but we cannot fatisfy his curiofity. Whatever it was, it fatisfied the landlord for his bodily hurt; but he lamented he had not known before how little the Lady valued her money: "For "to be fure," fays he, "one might have charged , every article double, and fhe would have made ,, no cavil at the reckoning."

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His wife, however, was far from drawing this conclufion; whether fhe really felt any injury done to her husband more than he did himself, I will not say; certain it is, fhe was much less fatisfied with the generosity of Sophia. "Indeed," cries fhe, "my ,, dear, the Lady knows better how to difpofe of her money than you imagine. She might very well think we should not put up such a business without fome fatisfaction, and the law would have coft her an infinite deal more than this poor little matter which I wonder you would take.” “You " are always fo bloodily wife," quoth the hufband:

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It would have coft her more, would it? Doft fancy I don't know that as well as thee? But would of that more, or fo much, have come any into our pockets? Indeed, if fon Tom the lawyer had been alive, I could have been glad to have » put fuch a pretty bufinefs into his hands.

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would have got a good picking out of it; but I have no relation now who is a lawyer, and why fhould I go to law for the benefit of strangers?" Nay, to be fure," answered fhe, "you must know best." "I believe I do," replied he. "I fancy, when money is to be got, I can fmell it out as well as another. Every body, let me tell you, would not have talked people out of this. Mind ,, that, I fay; every body would not have cajoled this out of her, mind that." The wife then joined in the applause of her husband's fagacity; and thus ended the fhort dialogue between them on this occafion.

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We will therefore take our leave of these good people, and attend his Lordship and his fair companions, who made fuch good expedition, that they performed a journey of ninety miles in two days, and on the second evening arrived in London, without having encountered any one adventure on the road worthy the dignity of this Hiftory to relate. Our pen, therefore, shall imitate the expedition which it defcribes, and our History fhall keep pace with the travellers who are its fubject. Good writers will indeed do well to imitate the ingenious traveller in this inftance, who always