prifed, gave him no other fatisfaction than, that he might poffible fee him again foon, and in a flash of fire.

Partridge fat in fearful expectation of this; and now, when the ghoft made his next appearance, Partridge cried out, There, Sir, now; what fay you now? is he frightened now or no? As much frightened as you think me, and, to be fure, no body can help fome fears, I would not be in fo bad a condition as, what's his < name, Squire Hamlet, is there, for all the world. Blefs me! what's become of the fpirit? As I am a living foul, I thought I faw him fink into the earth.' • Indeed < you faw right,' anfwered Jones. Well, well,' cries Partridge, I know it is only a play; and befides, if there was any thing in all this, Madam Miller would not laugh fo for as to you, Sir, you would not be a fraid, I believe, if the devil was here in perfon.-There, there-Ay, no wonder you are in fuch a paffion; shake the vile wicked wretch to pieces. If the was my own mother I fhould ferve her fo. To be fure, all duty to a mother is forfeited by fuch wicked doings.--Ay; go about your business; I hate the fight of you.'

Our critic was now pretty filent till the play which Hamlet introduces before the king. This he did not at first understand, till Jones explained it to him; but he no fooner entered into the spirit of it, than he began to blefs himself that he had never committed murder. Then turning to Mrs Miller, he asked her, If she did not imagine the king looked as if he was touched; Thought he is,' faid he, a good actor, and doth all he can to hide it. Well, I would not have fo much to answer for, as that wicked man there hath, to fit upon a much higher chair than he fits upon.-No wonder he run away; for your fake I'll never truft an innocent face again.'

6

The grave digging fcene next engaged the attention of Partridge, who expreffed much furprife at the num ber of skulls thrown upon the ftage. To which Jones anfwered, That it was one of the most famous burialplaces about town.' •No wonder then,' cries Partridge, that the place is haunted. But I never faw in my life

a worfe grave-digger.

I had a fexton, when I was clerk, that should have dug three graves while he is dig

'ging one. The fellow handles a fpade as if it was the first time he had ever had one in his hand. Ay, ay, you may fing. You had rather fing than work, I believe.' -Upon Hamlet's taking up the fkull, he cried out, Well, it is ftrange to fee how fearlefs fome men are: I never could bring myfelf to touch any thing belonging to a dead man on any account.-He feemed fright'ened enough too at the ghost, I thought. Nemo omnibus horis fapit.

I am

Little more worth remembering occurred during the play; at the end of which Jones asked him, 'which of the players he had liked best? To this he answered, with fome appearance of indignation at the question, The King without doubt.' Indeed, Mr Partridge,' fays Mrs Miller, you are not of the fame opinion with the town; for they are all agreed, that Hamlet is acted by the best player who was ever on the stage.' 'He the best player! cries Partridge, with a contemptuous fneer, Why, I could act as well as he myself. 'fure, if I had seen a ghost, I should have looked in the " very fame manner, and done juft as he did. And then, to be fure, in that fcene, as you called it, between him ' and his mother, where you told me he acted fo fine, why, Lord help me, any man, that is, any good man, that had fuch a mother, would have done exactly the 'fame. I know you are only joking with me; but indeed, Madam, though I was never at a play in London, yet I have seen acting before in the country; and the King for my money; he fpeaks all his words diftinctly, half as loud again as the other.Any body may fee he is an actor.'

While Mrs Miller was thus engaged in converfation with Partridge, a lady came up to Mr Jones, whom he immediately knew to be Mrs Fitzpatrick. She faid she had feen him from the other part of the gallery, and had taken that opportunity of fpeaking to him, as fhe had fomething to fay, which might be of great fervice to himfelf. She then acquainted him with her lodgings, and made him an appointment the next day in the morning; which, upon recollection, fhe prefently changed to the afternoon; at which time Jones promifed to attend her.

Thus ended the adventure at the playhoufe; where Partridge had afforded great mirth, not only to Jones and Mrs Miller, but to all who fat within hearing, who were more attentive to what he faid, than to any thing that paffed on the ftage.

He durft not go to bed all that night, for fear of the ghoft; and for many nights after sweated for two or three hours before he went to fleep, with the fame apprehenfions, and waked feveral times in great horrors, crying out, Lord have mercy upon us! there it is.'

IT

CHA P. VI.

In which the hiftory is obliged to go back.

T is almost impoffible for the best parent to obferve an exact impartiality of his children, even though no fuperior merit fhould bias his affection; but fure a parent can hardly be blamed, when that fuperiority determines his preference.

As I regard all the perfonages of this hiftory in the light of my children, fo I must confefs the fame inclination of partiality to Sophia; and for that I hope the reader will allow me the fame excufe, from the fuperiority of her

character.

This extraordinary tendernefs which I have for my heroine, never fuffers me to quit her any long time without the utmost reluctance. I could now, therefore, return impatiently to inquire what hath happened to this lovely creature fince her departure from her father's, but that I am obliged firft to pay a fhort vifit to Mr Blifil.

Mr Western, in the first confufion into which his mind was caft, upon the fudder news he received of his daughter, and in his firft hurry to go after her, had not once thought of fending any account of the difcovery to Blifil. He had not gone far, however, before he recollected himfelf, and accordingly ftopt at the very firft inn he came to, and dispatched away a meffenger to acquaint Blifil with his having found Sophia, and with his firm refolution to marry her to him immediately, if he would come up after him to town.

As the love which Blifil had for Sophia was of that elent kind, which nothing but the lofs of her fortune,

cr fome fuch accident, could leffen, his inclination to the match, was not at all altered by her having run away, though he was obliged to lay this to his own account. He very readily, therefore, embraced this offer. Indeed he now propofed the gratification of a very ftrong paffion befides avarice, by marrying this young lady, and this was hatred; for he concluded that matrimony afforded an equal opportunity of fatisfying either hatred or love, and this opinion is very probably verified by much experience. To fay the truth, if we are to judge by the ordinary behaviour of married perfons to each other, we fhall, perhaps, be apt to conclude, that the generality feek the indulgence of the former paffion only in their union of every thing but of hearts.

There was one difficulty, however, in his way, and this arofe from Mr Allworthy. That good man, when he found by the departure of Sophia, (for neither that, nor the cause of it, could be concealed from him), the great averfion which he had for his nephew, began to be feriously concerned that he had been deceived into carrying matters fo far. He by no means concurred with the opinion of thofe parents, who think it as immaterial to confult the inclinations of their children in the affair of marriage, as to folicit the good pleafure of their fervants when they intend to take a journey, and who are, by law or decency at leaft, with-held often from ufing abfolute force. On the contrary, as he esteemed the inftitution tò be of the moft facred kind, he thought every preparatory caution neceffary to preferve it holy and inviolate, and very wifely concluded, that the fureft way to effect this was, by laying the foundation in previous affection.

Blif indeed foon cured his uncle of all anger on the fcore of deceit, by many vows and proteftations that he had been deceived himfelf, with which the many declarations of Weflern very well tallied; but how to perfuade Allworthy to confent to the renewing his addreffes was a matter of fuch apparent difficulty, that the very appearance was fufficient to have deterred a lefs enterpriung genius; but this young gentleman fo well knew his own talents, that nothing within the province of cunning feemed to him hard to be atchieved.

Here then he reprefented the violence of his own affection, and the hopes of fubduing averfion in the lady, by perfeverance. He begged, that in an affair on which depended all his future repofe, he might at leaft be at liberty to try all fair means for fuccefs. Heaven forbid, he faid, that he fhould ever think of prevailing by any other than the moft gentle methods! Befides, Sir, faid he, if they fail, you may then (which will be furely time enough) deny your confent.' He urged the great and eager defire which Mr Weftern had for the match; and, laftly, he made great ufe of the name of Jones, to whom he imputed all that had happened, and from whom, he faid, to preferve fo valuable a young lady was even an act of charity.

All these arguments were well feconded by Thwackum, who dwelt a little ftronger on the authority of parents than Mr Blifil himself had done. He afcribed the measures which Mr Blifil was defirous to take to Chriftian motives; and though,' fays he, the good young gentleman hath mentioned charity laft, I am almoft convinced it is his firft and principal confideration.'

6

Square, poflibly, had he been prefent, would have fung to the fame tune, though in a different key, and would have difcovered much moral fitnefs in the proceeding; but he was now gone to Bath for the recovery of his health.

Allworthy, though not without reluctance, at laft yielded to the defires of his nephew. He faid, he would accompany him to London, where he might be at liberty to ufe every honeft endeavour to gain the lady; but I declare,' faid he, I will never give my confent to any abfolute force being put on her inclinations, nor 'fhall you ever have her, unless fhe can be brought freely to compliance.'

Thus did the affection of Allworthy for his nephew betray the fuperior understanding to be triumphed over by the inferior; and thus is the prudence of the beft of heads often defeated by the tenderness of the best of

hearts.

Blifil having obtained this unhoped-for acquicfcence in his uncle, relied not till he carried his purpofe into execution. And as no immediate bufinefs required Mr All