now mid-night; and the company at the inn, as well those who have been already mentioned in this History, as fome others who arrived in the evening, were all in bed. Only Sufan the chambermaid was now ftirring, fhe being obliged to wash the kitchen, before she retired to the arms of the fond, expecting hoftler. In this posture were affairs at the inn, when a gentleman arrived there poft. He immediately alighted from his horse, and coming up to Sufan, inquired of her, in a very abrupt and confused manner, being almost out of breath with eagernefs, whether there was any Lady in the house. The hour of night, and the behaviour of the man, who ftared very wildly all the time, a little furprised Sufan, fo that fhe hesitated before she made any answer: upon which the gentleman, with redoubled eagernefs, begged her to give him a true information, faying, he had loft his wife, and was come in pursuit of her. " دو دو دو "Upon my shoul," cries he, "I have been near » catching her already in two or three places, if I had not found her gone juft as I came up with her. If fhe be in the houfe, do carry me up in the dark and fhow her to me; and if she be » gone away before me, do tell me which way I fhall go after her to meet her, and upon my ,, fhoul, I will make you the richest poor woman in the nation." He then pulled out a handful of guineas, a fight which would have bribed perfons of much greater confequence than this poor wretch, to much worse purposes. Sufan, from the account fhe had received of Mrs. Waters, made not the leaft doubt but that she was the very identical ftray whom the right owner pursued. As the concluded, therefore, with great appearance of reason, that she never could get money in an honester way than by reftoring a wife to her husband, she made no fcruple of affuring the gentleman, that the Lady he wanted was then in the house; and was prefently afterwards prevailed upon (by very liberal promifes, and fome earnest paid into her hands) to conduct him to the bed-chamber of Mrs. Waters. It has been a custom long established in the polite world, and that upon very folid and substantial reafons, that a husband shall never enter his wife's apartment without first knocking at the door. The many excellent uses of this cuftom need fcarce be hinted to a Reader who has any knowledge of the world: for by this means the Lady has time to adjust herself, or to remove any disagreeable object out of the way; for there are some fituations, in which nice and delicate women would not be discovered by their husbands. To fay the truth, there are feveral ceremonies inftituted among the polished part of mankind, which, though they may, to coarfer judgments, appear as matters of mere form, are found to have much of fubftance in them, by the more difcerning; and lucky would it have been, had the custom above mentioned been obferved by our gentleman in the prefent inftance. Knock, indeed, he did at the door, but not with one of thofe gentle raps which is ufual on fuch occafions. On the contrary, when he found the door locked, he flew at it with fuch violence, that the lock immediately gave way, the door burst open, and he fell headlong into the room. He had no fooner recovered his legs, than forth from the bed, upon his legs likewise appeared with fhame and forrow are we obliged to proceed - our Hero himself, who, with a menacing voice, demanded of the gentleman who he was, and what he meant by daring to burst open his chamber in that outrageous manner. ་ The gentleman at firft thought he had committed a mistake, and was going to ask pardon and retreat, when, on a fudden, as the moon shone very bright, he caft his eyes on stays, gowns, petticoats, caps, ribbons, stockings, garters, fhoes, clogs, &c. all which lay in a difordered manner on the floor. All these operating on the natural jealoufy of his temper, fo enraged him, that he loft all power of fpeech, and without returning any answer to Jones, he endeavoured to approach the bed. Jones immediately interpofing, a fierce contention arofe, which foon proceeded to blows on both fides. And now Mrs. Waters (for we must confefs fhe was in the fame bed) being, I fuppofe, awakened from her fleep, and feeing two men fighting in her bedchamber, began to fcream in the most violent manner, crying out murder! robbery! and more frequently rape! which laft, fome, perhaps, may wonder fhe fhould mention, who do not confider that thefe words of exclamation are used by Ladies in a fright, as fa, la, la, ra, da, &c. are in mufic only as the vehicles of found, and without any fixed ideas. Next to the Lady's chamber was depofited the body of an Irish gentleman, who arrived too late at the inn to have been mentioned before. This gentleman was one of those whom the Irish call a Calabalaro, or cavalier. He was a younger brother of a good family, and having no fortune at home, was obliged to look abroad in order to get one: for which purpose he was proceeding to the Bath to try his luck with cards and the women. This young fellow lay in bed reading one of Mrs. Behn's novels; for he had been inftructed by a friend, that he would find no more effectual method of recommending himself to the Ladies than the improving his understanding, and filling his mind with good literature. He no fooner, therefore, heard the violent uproar in the next room, than he leapt from his bolfter, and taking his fword in one hand, and the candle which burnt by him in the other, he went directly to Mrs. Waters's chamber. If the fight of another man in his shirt at first دو added fome fhock to the decency of the Lady, it made her presently amends by confiderably abating her fears; for no fooner had the Calabalaro enter'd the room, than he cry'd out, "Mr. Fitzpatrick, what the devil is the maning of this?" Upon which the other immediately anfwered, "O, Mr. Macklachlan, I am rejoiced you are here:- This villain has debauched my wife, and is got into ,, bed with her."-"What wife?" cries Macklachlan, "do not I know Mrs. Fitzpatrick very well, and don't I fee that the Lady, whom the gentleman who stands here in his shirt is lying in bed with, is none of her?" دو دو Fitzpatrick now perceiving, as well by the glimpse he had of the Lady, as by her voice, which might have been distinguished at a greater distance than he now ftood from her, that he had made a very unfortunate mistake, began to ask many pardons of the Lady; and then turning to Jones, he said, would have you take notice I do not ask your pardon, for you have bate me; for which I am refolved to have your blood in the morning." رو رو رو " I Jones treated his menace with much contempt; and Mr. Macklachlan anfwered, "Indeed, Mr. Fitzpatrick, you may be ashamed of your ownfelf, to disturb people at this time of night: if „ all the people in the inn were not asleep, you would have awakened them as you have me. The gentleman has ferved you very rightly. Upon وو |