covered breath enough to thank Mr Jones for his feafon able affiftance: he received likewife the hearty thanks of the young woman prefent, who was indeed no other than Mifs Nancy, the eldest daughter of the house.

The footman having now recovered his legs, fhook his head at Jones, and with a fagacious look cry'd,'0 d-n me, I'll have nothing more to do with you; you have been upon the ftage, or I am d-nably mistaken :' and indeed we may forgive this his fufpicion; for fuch was the agility and ftrength of our hero, that he was perhaps a match for one of the first-rate boxers, and could, with great cafe, have beaten all the muffled graduates of Mr Broughton's fchool.

The master, foaming with wrath, ordered his man immediately to ftrip, to which the latter very readily agreed, on condition of receiving his wwages. This condition was prefently complied with, and the fellow was discharged.

was

And now the young gentleman, whofe name Nightingale, very ftrenuoufly infifted that his deliverer fhould take part of a bottle of wine with him; to which Jones, after much intreaty, confented; though more out of complaifance than inclination for the uneafinefs of his mind fitted him very little for converfation at this time. Mifs Nancy likewife, who was the only

*Left pofterity fhould be puzzled by this epithet, I think proper to explain it by an advertisement, which was publifhed Feb. 1747:

N. B. Mr Broughton propofes, with proper affiftance, to open an academy, at his houfe in the Hay-Market, for the inftruction of those who are willing to be initiated in the mystery of boxing; where the whole theory and practice of that truly British art, with all the various ftops, blows, crofs-bottocks, &c. incident to combatants, will be fully taught and explained; and that perfons of quality and diftinction may not be deterred from entering into A courfe of thefe lectures, they will be given with the utmost tendernefs and regard to the delicacy of the frame and conftitution of the pupil, for which reafon muffles are provided, that will effectually fecure them from the inconveniency of black eyes, broken jaws, and bloody nofes.

female then in the houfe, her mamma and fifter being to play, condefcended to favour them with her

both gone

company.

When the bottle and glaffes were on the table, the gentleman began to relate the occafion of the preceding. difturbance.

I hope, Sir,' faid he to Jones, you will not, from this accident, conclude, that I make a cuftom of ftriking my fervants; for I affure you this is the first time I have been guilty of it in my remembrance, and I have paffed by many provoking faults in this very fellow, before he could provoke me to it; but when you hear what hath happened this evening, you will, I believe, think me excufable. I happened to come home feveral hours before my ufual time, when I found four gentlemen of the cloth at whift by my fire;-and my Hoyle, Sir,my beft Hoyle, which coit me a guinea, lying open on the table, with a quantity of porter fpilt on one of the most material leaves of the whole book. This you will allow, was provoking; but I faid nothing till the rest of the honeft company were gone, and then gave the fellow a gentle rebuke, who instead of expreffing < any concern, made me a pert answer, that fervants mult have their diverfions as well as other people; that he was forry for the accident which had happened to the book; but that feveral of his acquaintance had bought the fame for a fhilling; and that I might stop as much in his wages, if I pleafed. I now gave him a feverer reprimand than before, when the rafcal had the infolence to In short, he imputed my early coming home to-In fhort, ‹ he cast a reflection-He mentioned the name of a young lady, in a manner-in fuch a manner that incenfed me beyond all patience; and, in my paffion, I ftruck him.’ Jones anfwered, That he believed no perfon living would blame him; For my part,' faid he, I confefs I fhould, on the last-mentioned provocation, have done the fame thing.'

6

Our company had not fat long before they were join ed by the mother and daughter, at their return from the play. And now they all fpent a very chearful evening together; for all but Jones were heartily merry, and even he put on as much conftrained mirth as poffible. InVOL. III.

deed half his natural flow of animal fpirits, joined to the sweetness of his temper, was fufficient to make a moft amiable companion; and notwithstanding the heaviness of his heart, fo agreeable did he make himfelf on the prefent occafion, that at their breaking up the young gentleman earnestly defired his further acquaintance. Mifs Nancy was well pleafed with him; and the widow, quite charmed with her new lodger, invited him with the other, next morning to breakfaft.

n

Jones on his part was no lefs fatisfied. As for Mifs Nancy, though a very little creature, fhe was extremel pretty, and the widow had all the charms which can adorn a woman near fifty. As fhe was one of the most innocent creatures in the world, fo fhe was one of the moft chearful. She never thought, nor fpoke, nor wifhed any ill, and had conftantly that defire of pleafing, which may be called the happiest of all defires, in this, that it fcarce ever fails of attaining its ends, when not difgraced by affectation. In fhort, though her power was very small, fhe was in her heart one of the warmest friends. She had been a most affectionate wife, and was a moft fond and tender mother.

As our hiflory doth not, like a news-paper, give great characters to people who were never heard of before, nor will ever be heard of again; the reader my hence conclude, that this excellent woman will hereafter appear to be of fome importance in our hiftory.

Nor was Jones a little pleafed with the young gentleman himself, whofe wine he had been drinking. He thought he difcerned in him much good fenfe, though a little too much tainted with town-foppery; but what recommended him moft to Jones, were fome fentiments of generofity and humanity, which occafionally dropt from him; and particularly many expreffions of the higheft difintereftednefs in the affair of love. On which fubject the young gentleman delivered himfelf in a language which might have very well become an Arcadian fhepherd of cl, and which appeared very extraordinary when proceeding from the lips of a modern fine gentleman; but he was only one by imitation, and meant by nature for a much better character.

What arrived while the company were at breakfast, with Jome hints concerning the government of daughters.

UR company brought together in the morning the fame good inclinations towards each other with which they had feparated the evening before; but poor Je aes was extremely difconfolate; for he had juft receied information from Partridge, that Mrs Fitzpatrick had left her lodging, and that he could not learn whither fhe was gone. This news highly afflicted him, and his coun tenance, as well as his behaviour, in defiance of all his endeavours to the contrary, betrayed manifeft indications of a difordered mind.

The difcourfe turned at prefent, as before, on love, and Mr Nightingale again expreffed many of thofe warm, generous, and difinterefted fentiments upon this fubject, which wife and sober men call romantic, but which wife and fober women generally regard in a better light. Mrs Miller (for fo the mistress of the houfe was called) greatly approved thefe fentiments; but when the young gentleman appealed to Mifs Nancy, fhe anfwered only, That he believed the gentleman who had spoke the leaft, was capable of feeling the moft.

This compliment was fo apparently directed to Jones, that we fhould have been forry had he paffed it by unregarded. He made her, indeed, a very polite anfwer, and concluded with an oblique hint, that her own filence fubjected her to a fufpicion of the fame kind; for, indeed, the had fcarce opened her lips either now, or the laft evening.

6

I am glad, Nancy,' fays Mrs Miller, the gentle< man hath made the obfervation; I proteft I am almost of his opinion. What can be the matter with you, child? I never faw fuch an alteration. What is become of all your gaiety? Would you think, Sir, I ufed to call her my little prattler? She hath not fpoke twenty words this week.'

Here their converfation was interrupted by the entrance of a maid-servant, who brought a bundle in her hands, which, she faid, was delivered by a porter for Mr

Jones. She added, That the man immediately went away, faying it required no anfwer.

Jones expreffed fome furprife on this occafion, and declared it must be some mistake: but the maid perfifting that she was certain of the name, all the women were defirous of having the bundle immediately opened; which operation was, at length, performed by little Betfey, with the confent of Mr Jones; and the contents were found to be a domino, a mask, and a masquerade-ticket.

Jones was now more pofitive than ever, in afferting that thefe things must have been delivered by mistake; and Mrs Miller herfelf expreffed fome doubt, and faid, She knew not what to think. But when Mr Nightingale, was asked, he delivered a very different opinion.

4

All

I can conclude from it, Sir,' faid he, is, that you are a very happy man: for I make no doubt but these were fent you by fome lady whom you will have the happinefs of meeting at the mafquerade.'

Jenes had not a fufficient degree of vanity to entertain any fuch flattering imaginations; nor did Mrs Miller herfelf give much affent to what Mr Nightingale had faid, till Mifs Nancy having lifted up the domino, a card dropped from the fleeve, in which was written as follows:

To Mr JONES.

The Queen of the Fairies fends you this;

Ufe her favours not amifs?

Mrs Miller and Mifs Nancy now both agreed with Mr Nightingale, nay, Jones himfelf was almoft perfuaded to be of the fame opinion. And as no other lady but Mrs Fitzpatrick, he thought, knew his lodgings, he began to flatter himself with fome hopes that it came from her, and that he might poffibly fee his Sophia. These hopes had, furely, very little foundation; but as the conduct of Mrs Fitzpatrick, in not feeing him according to her promife, and in quitting her lodgings, had been very odd and unaccountable, he conceived fome faint hopes, that the (of whom he had formerly heard a very whimfical character) might poffibly intend to do him that fervice in a strange manner, which the declined doing by more ordinary methods. To fay the truth, s