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Jones no fooner heard that name, than immediately quitting his former companion, he applied to the Domino, begging and intreating her to fhew him the lady fhe had mentioned, if fhe was then in the room.

The Mask walked haftily to the upper end of the innermoft apartment before the fpoke; and then inftead of anfwering him, fat down, and declared fhe was tired. Jones fat down by her, and ftill perfifted in his intreaties; at laft the lady coldly anfwered, I imagined Mr Jones had been a more difcerning lover, than to fuffer any difguife to conceal his miftrefs from him.' • Is fhe here, then, Madam?' replied Jones, with fome vehemence. Upon which the lady cried, Hufh, Sir, you will be obferved.-I promise you upon my honour, Miss • Western is not here.'

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Jones now taking the Mask by the hand, fell to intreating her in the moft earneft manner, to acquaint him where he might find Sophia: and when he could obtain no direct anfwer, he began to upbraid her gently for having difappointed him the day before; and concluded, faying, Indeed, my good Fairy Queen, I know your Majefty very well, notwithstanding the affected difguife of your voice. Indeed, Mrs Fitzpatrick, it is a little cruel to divert yourself at the expence of my torments.' The Mask anfwered, Though you have fo ingeniously < difcovered me, I muft ftill fpeak in the fame voice, lest • I fhould be known by others. And do you think, good Sir, that I have no greater regard for my coufin than to affift in carrying ou an affair between you two, which muft end in her ruin, as well as your own? Befides, I promife you, my coufin is not mad enough to consent to her own deftruction, if you are so much her enemy as to tempt her to it.'

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· Alas, Madam,' faid Jones, you little know my heart, • when you call me an enemy to Sophia.'

And yet to ruin any one,' cries the other, you will allow, is the act of an enemy; and when by the fame act you must knowingly and certainly bring ruin on yourself, is it not folly or madness, as well as guilt? Now, Sir, my coufin hath very little more than her father will pleafe to give her; very little for one of her

fafhion.

• fituation.'

-you know him, and you know your own

-Jones vowed he had no fuch defign on Sophia; that he would rather fuffer the moft violent of deaths than facrifice her intereft to his defires. He faid, he knew how unworthy he was of her every way; that he had long ago refolved to quit all such aspiring thoughts, but that fome ftrange accidents had made him defirous to fee her once more, when he promised he would take leave of her for ever. No, Madam,' concluded he, my love is not of that bafe kind which feeks its own fatisfaction at the expence of what is most dear to its object. I would facrifice every thing to the poffeffion of my Sophia, but Sophia herself.'

Though the reader may have already conceived no very fublime idea of the virtue of the lady in the mask, and though poffibly fhe may hereafter appear not to deserve one of the firft characters of her fex, yet, it is certain, thefe generous fentiments made a strong impreffion upon her, and greatly added to the affection fhe had before conceived for our young hero.

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The lady now, after a filence of a few moments, faid, She did not fee his pretenfions to Sophia fo much in the light of prefumption, as of imprudence. Young fellows,' fays fhe, can never have too afpiring thoughts. I love ambition in a young man, and I would have you cultivate it as much as poffible. Perhaps you may fuc• ceed with thofe who are infinitely fuperior in fortune; nay, I am convinced there are women-But don't you think me a strange creature, Mr Jones, to be thus giving advice to a man with whom I am fo little acquainted, and one with whofe behaviour to me I have fo little • reason to be pleased?'

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Here Jones began to apologize, and to hope he had not offended in any thing he had faid of her coufin.To which the Mafk anfwered, And are you fo little verfed in the fex, to imagine you can well affront a lady more, than by entertaining her with your paffion for another woman? If the Fairy Queen had conceived no better opinion of your gallantry, fhe would foarce hare appointed you to meet her at a masquerade.'

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Jones had never lefs inclination to an amour than at

prefent; but gallantry to the ladies was among his principles of honour; and he held it as much incumbent on him to accept a challenge to love, as if it had been a challenge to fight. Nay, his very love to Sophia made it neceffary for him to keep well with the lady, as he made no doubt but she was capable of bringing him into the prefence of the other.

He began therefore to 'make a very warm anfwer to her laft fpeech, when a Mask, in the character of an old woman, joined them. This Mafk was one of thofe ladies, who go to a masquerade only to vent ill-nature, by telling people rude truths, and by endeavouring, as the phrafe is, to fpoil as much sport as they are able. This good lady, therefore, having obferved Jones, and his friend, whom the well knew, in clofe confultation together in a corner of the room, concluded she could no where fatisfy her fpleen better than by interrupting them. She attacked them therefore, and foon drove them from their retirement; nor was fhe contented with this, but purfued them to every place which they shifted to avoid her; till Mr Nightingale feeing the diftrefs of his friend, at last relieved him, and engaged the old woman in another purfuit.

While Jones and his Mask were walking together a bout the room to rid themfelves of the teazer, he obferved his lady speak to feveral Masks, with the fame freedom of acquaintance as if they had been barefaced. He could not help expreffing his furprise at this, faying, Sure, Madam, you must have infinite difcernment to know people in all difguifes.' To which the lady anfwered, You cannot conceive any thing more infipid ⚫ and childish than a masquerade to the people of fashion, who in general know one another as well here as when they meet in an affembly or a drawing-room; nor will any woman of condition converfe with a perfon with whom he is not acquainted. In fhort, the generality of perfons whom you fee here, may more properly be faid to kill time in this place than in any other, and generally retire from hence more tired than from the longeft fermon. To 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

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almoft charity in me to go home for your fake.' I know but one charity equal to it,' cries Jones, and that is to fuffer me to wait on you home.' 'Sure,' anfwered the lady, you have a ftrange 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 fhewn my coufin to fome other motive. Confefs honely; don't you confider this contrived interview as little better than a downright affignation? Are you used Mr Jones, to make thefe fudden conquefts?' I am not ufed, Madam,' faid Jones, to fubmit to fuch fudden conquefts; but as you have taken my heart by surprise, the rest of my body hath a right to follow; fo you must pardon me if I refolve to attend you where-ever you go.' He accompanied thefe words with fome proper actions; upon which the lady, after a・ gentle rebuke, and faying their familiarity would be obferved, told him, She was going to fup with an acquaintance, whither the hoped he would not follow her; for if you should,' faid the, I fhall be thought an unac⚫countable creature; though my friend indeed is not cenforious, yet I hope you won't follow me: I proteft I fhall not know what to say, if you do.'

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The lady prefently after quitted the masquerade; and Jones, notwithflanding the fevere prohibition he had received, prefumed to attend her. He was now reduced to the fame delimma 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, purfued by a grand huzza from all the chair men prefent, who wifely take the best care they can to difcountenance all walking a-foot by their betters. Luckily, however, the gentry who attend at the Opera-houfe were too busy to quit their ftations; and as the latenefs of the hour prevented him from meeting many of their brethren in the ftreet, he proceeded without moleftation, in a drefs, which, at another feafon, would have certainly raised a mob at his heels.

The lady was fet down in a treet not far from Hanover-fquare, where the door being prefently opened, the was carried in; and the gentleman, without any ceremony, walked in after her.

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Jones and his companion were now together in a very well furnished and well warmed room, when the female ftill fpeaking in her masquerade voice, faid, the was furprif prifed at his friend, who muft abfolutely have forgot her appointment; at which, after venting much refentment, the fuddenly expreffed fome 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 inftead of a direct answer to fo important a queftion, Jones began to be very importunate with the lady to unmask; and at length having prevailed, there appeared, not Mrs Fitzpatrick, but the lady Bellasten herfelf.

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'clok in the morning. It is fufficient to mention all of it that is any way material to this hiftory; and this was a promife 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 feparated; the lady returned to her houfe, and Jones to his lodgings.

CHA P. VIII.

Containing a feene of diftrefs, which will appear very extraordinary to most of our readers.

JON

ONES 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 raised in him feme fufpicions not very advantageous to the honour of his mafler; to thefe the dreadful idea he had of the mafquerade, the difguife 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 account for the poffefhon of this note was by rub ry; and to confefs the truth, the reader, unless he should

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