,, more tired than from the longest fermon. دو دو כל دو دو Το fay the truth, I begin to be in that fituation ,, myself; and if I have any faculty at gueffing, "you are not much better pleafed. I proteft it would be almoft charity in me to go home for "I know but one charity equal to "your fake.' ,,it," cries Jones, "and that is to fuffer me to wait " on you home. "Sure," anfwered the Lady, » you have a strange opinion of me, to imagine. ,, that upon fuch an acquaintance, I would let you into my doors at this time o'night. I fancy you impute the friendship I have shown my coufin, to fome other motive. Confefs honeftly; don't », you confider this contrived interview as little better than a downright affignation? Are you ,, used, Mr. Jones, to make these fudden conquests?" I am not used, Madam," said Jones, "to fubmit to fuch fudden conquefts; but as you have taken ,, my heart by furprise, the reft of my body has a right to follow; so you must pardon me if I ,, refolve to attend you wherever you go. He accompanied these words with fome proper actions; upon which the Lady, after a gentle rebuke, and faying their familiarity would be observed, told him, She was going to fup with an acquaintance, whither she hoped he would not follow her; for if you should," faid fhe, "I fhould be thought an unaccountable creature, though my friend indeed is not cenforious, yet I hope you won't follow me I proteft I fhall not know what to » fay, if you do. " دو دو دو دو دو دو وو The Lady presently after quitted the masquerade, and Jones, notwithstanding the fevere prohibition he had received, prefumed to attend her. He was now reduced to the fame dilemma we have mentioned before, namely, the want of a fhilling, and could not relieve it by borrowing as before. He therefore walked boldly on after the chair in which the Lady rode, pursued by a grand huzza from all the chairmen prefent, who wisely take the best care they can to discountenance all walking a-foot by their betters. Luckily, however, the gentry who attend at the opera-house were too bufy to quit their ftations, and as the latenefs of the hour prevented him from meeting many of their brethren in the street, he proceeded without molestation, in a dress, which, at another season, would have certainly raised a mob at his heels. The Lady was fet down in a street, not far from Hanover-Square, where the door being prefently opened, fhe was carried in, and the gentleman, without any ceremony, walked in after her. Jones and his companion were now together in a very well-furnished and well-warmed room, when the female ftill speaking in her masquerade voice, said, she was surprised at her friend, who must abfolutely have forgot her appointment; at which, after venting much refentment, fhe fuddenly exprest some apprehenfion from Jones, and asked him what the world would think of their having been alone together in a houfe at that time of night But instead of a direct anfwer to fo important a question, Jones began to be very importunate with the Lady to unmask, and at length having prevailed, there appeared not Mrs. Fitzpatrick, but the Lady Bellafton herself. It would be tedious to give the particular converfation, which confifted of very common and ordinary occurrences, and which lafted from two till fix o'clock in the morning. It is fufficient to mention all of it that is any wife material to this History. And this was a promise that the Lady would endeavour to find out Sophia, and in a few days bring him to an interview with her, on condition that he would then take his leave of her. When this was thoroughly fettled, and a fecond meeting in the evening appointed at the fame place, they separated; the Lady returned to her house, and Jones to his lodging. CHA P. VIII. Containing a Scene of Distress, which will appear very extraordinary to moft of our Readers. JONES having refreshed himself with a few hours fleep, fummoned Partridge to his prefence; and delivering him a bank-note of fifty pounds, ordered him to go and change it. Partridge received this with fparkling eyes, though when he came to reflect farther, it raifed in him fome fufpicions not very advantageous to the honor of his Mafter; to these the dreadful idea he had of the masquerade, the disguise in which his Mafter had gone out and returned, and his having been abroad all night, contributed. In plain language, the only way he could poffibly find to account for the poffeffion of this note, was by robbery; and, to confefs the truth, the Reader, unless he should fufpect it was owing to the generofity of Lady Bellafton, can hardly imagine any other. To clear therefore the honor of Mr. Jones, and to do juftice to the liberality of the Lady, he had really received this present from her, who, though fhe did not give much into the Hackney charities of the age, fuch as building hofpitals, &c. was not, however, entirely void of that chriftian virtue; and conceived (very rightly I think) that a young fellow of merit, without a fhilling in the world, was no improper object of this virtue. Mr. Jones and Mr. Nightingale had been invited to dine this day with Mrs. Miller. At the appointed hour therefore the two young gentlemen, with the two girls, attended in the parlour, where they waited from three till almost five before the good woman appeared. She had been out of town to vifit a relation, of whom, at her return, fhe gave the following account: "I hope, gentlemen, you will pardon my making "you wait; I am fure if you knew the occafion.I have been to fee a coufin of mine, about fix miles دو 1 دو " دو دو ,, off, who now lies-in. It should be a warning " to all perfons" (fays fhe, looking at her daughters) "how they marry indifcreetly. There is no „, happiness in this world, without a competency. O Nancy! how shall I describe the wretched condition in which I found your poor coufin; she has fcarce lain- in a week, and there was fhe, this dreadful weather, in a cold room, without any curtains to her bed, and not a bufhel of coals in her house to supply her with fire: her fecond fon, that sweet little fellow, lies ill of a quinfy in the fame bed with his mother; for there is no other bed in the house. Poor little Tommy! I believe, Nancy, you will never fee your favorite any » more; for he is really very ill. The reft of the children are in pretty good health; but Molly, I am afraid, will do herself an injury: fhe is but thirteen years old, Mr. Nightingale, and yet, in my life, I never faw a better nurfe: fhe tends both her mother and her brother and what is wonderful in à creature fo young, he fhows all the cheerfulness in the world to her mother and I saw her yet I faw the poor child, Mr. Nightingale, turn about, and privately wipe the tears from her eyes." Here Mrs. Miller was prevented, by her own tears, from going on, and there was not, I believe, a perfon prefent, who did not accompany her in them; at length fhe a little recovered herfelf, and proceeded thus: "In all this diftrefs the mother fup»ports her fpirits in a furprifing manner. The ,, danger of her fon fits heaviest upon her, and دو دو دو دو دو " |