loofer in his morals: not that he was even here as void of principle as gentlemen fometimes are, and oftener affect to be; but it is certain he had been guilty of fome indefenfible treachery to women, and had, in a certai myftery, called making love, practifed many deceits, which if he had used in trade, he would have been counted the greatest villain upon earth.

But as the world, I know not well for what reason, agree to fee this treachery in a better light, he was so far from being afhamed of his iniquities of this kind, that he gloried in them, and would often boaft of his fkill in gaining of women, and his triumphals over their hearts, for which he had before this time received fome rebukes from Jones, who always expreffed great bitterness against any mifbehaviour to the fair part of the fpecies, who, if con fidered, he faid, as they ought to be, in the light of the dearest friends, were to be cultivated, honoured, and ca reffed with the utmost love and tenderness; but if regarded as enemies, were a conqueft of which a man ought rather to be ashamed than to value himself upon it.

J%

CHA P. V.

A fhort account of the history of Mrs Miller.

ONES this day eat a pretty good dinner for a fick man, that is to fay, the larger half of a fhoulder of mutton. In the afternoon he received an invitation from Mrs Miller to drink tea: for that good woman having learned, either by means of Partridge, or by fome other means, natural or fupernatural, that he had a connection with Mr Allworthy, could not endure the thoughts of parting with him in an angry manner.

Jones accepted the invitation; and no fooner was the tea-kettle removed, and the girls fent out of the room, than the widow, without much preface, began as follows: Well, there are very furprifing things happens in this world; but certainly it is a wonderful bufinefs • that I should have a relation of Mr Allworthy in my house, and never know any thing of the matter. Alas! • Sir, you little imagine what a friend that beft of gentle• men hath been to me and mine. Yes, Sir, I am not as

⚫ fhamed to own it; it is owing to his goodness, that I did not long fince perifh for want, and leave my poor ' little wretches, two deftitute, helpless, friendless orphans, to the care or rather to the cruelty of the • world.

The

You must know, Sir, though I am now reduced to get my living by letting lodgings, I was born and bred a gentlewoman. My father was an officer in the army, and died in a confiderable rank: but he lived up to his pay; and as that expired with him, his family at his death became beggars. We were three fifters. One of us had the good luck to die foon after of the fmall-pox: a lady was fo kind as to take the fecond out of charity, as the faid, to wait upon her. mother of this lady had been a fervant to my grandmo⚫ther; and having inherited a vast fortune from her father, which he had got by pawn-broking, was married to a gentleman of great eftate and fashion. She used my filter fo barbaroufly, often upbraiding her with her ← birth and poverty, calling her in derifion a gentlewo• man, that I believe fhe at length broke the heart of the poor girl. In fhort, fhe likewife died within a twelvemonth after my father. Fortune thought proper to • provide better for me, and within a month from his decease I was married to a clergyman, who had been my lover a long time before, and who had been very ill ufed by my father on that account; for though my poor father could not give any of us a fhilling, yet he • bred us up as delicately, confidered us, and would have had us confider ourselves, as highly, as if we had been the richest heireffes. But my dear husband forgot all this ufage, and the moment we were become fatherlefs, he immediately renewed his addreffes to me fo warmly, that I, who always liked, and now more than ever efteemed him, foon complied. Five years did I live in a ftate of perfect happinefs with the beft of men, till at laft, Oh! cruel, cruel Fortune, that ever separated us, that deprived me of the kindest of husbands, and my poor girls of the tendereft parent.- O my poor girls! ye never knew the bleffing which ye loft.

am afhamed, Mr Jones, of this womanith weakness; • but I shall never mention him without tears. I ought

rather, Madam,' faid Jones, to be ashamed, that I do not accompany you.' Well, Sir,' continued fhe, I C. was now left a fecond time in a much worfe condition than before: befides the terrible affliction. I was to encounter, I had now two children to provide for; and was, if poffible, more pennylefs than ever, when that great, and good, that glorious man, Mr Allworthy, who had fome little acquaintance with my husband, accidentally heard of my diftrefs, and immediately writ this letter to me. Here, Sir,-here it is; I put it into. hy pocket to fhew it you. This is the letter, Sir; I must and will read it to you..

"MADAM.

I

HEARTILY condole with you on your late grievous: lofs, which your own good fenfe, and the excellent Jeffons you must have learnt from the worthiest of men, "will better enable you to bear, than any advice which I am capable of giving. Nor have I any doubt that you whom I have heard to be the tendereft of mothers, will fuffer any immoderate indulgence of grief to prevent you from difcharging your duty to thofe poor infants, who now alone ftand in need of your tenderness.

"However, as you must be fuppofed at prefent to be incapable of much worldly confideration, you will par"don my having ordered a perfon to wait on you, and to pay you twenty guineas, which I beg you will accept "till I have the pleasure of feeing you, and believe me to be, Madam," &c..

66

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This letter, Sir, I received within a fortnight after the irreparable lofs I have mentioned, and within a fortnight afterwards, Mr Allworthy,the bleffed Mr Allworthy, came to pay me a vifit, when he placed me in the houfe where you now fee me, gave me a large fum of money to furnish it, and fettled an annuity of rol. a year upon me, which I have conftantly receivedever fince. Judge then, Mr Jones, in what regard I • must hold a benefactor, to whom I owe the prefervation of my life, and of thofe dear children, for whofe fake alone my life is valuable.Do not, therefore,

← think me impertinent, Mr Jones, (fince I must esteem one for whom I know Mr Allworthy hath fo much value), if I beg you not to converse with thefe wicked women. You are a young gentleman, and do not know half their • artful wiles. Do not be angry with me, Sir, for what I faid upon account of my houfe; you must be sensible it would be the ruin of my poor dear girls. Befides, Sir, you cannot but be acquainted, that Mr Allworthy ← himself would never forgive my conniving at fuch matters, and particularly with you.'

Upon my word, Madam,' faid Jones, You need make no farther apology: nor do I in the least take any thing ill you have faid: but give me leave, as no one can have more value than myself for Mr Allworthy, to deliver you from one mistake, which perhaps would not be altogether for his honour: I do affure you, I C. am no relation of his.'

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Alas! Sir,' answered she, I know you are not. know very well who you are: for Mr Allworthy hath told me all; but I do affure you, had you been twenty times his fon, he could not have expreffed more regard for you than he hath often expreffed in my prefence. You need not be afhamed, Sir, of what you are; I promife you no good perfon will efteem you the less on that account. No, Mr Jones; the word difhonourable birth are nonefense, as my dear, dear husband used to say, unlefs the word difhonourable be applied to the parents; for the children can derive no real dishonour from an act of which they are entirely innocent.'

Here Jones heaved a deep figh, and then faid, 'Since L perceive, Madam, you really do know me, and Mr Allworthy hath thought proper to mention my name to you and fince you have been fo explicit with me as to your own affairs, I will acquaint you with fome more. ⚫ circumftances concerning myfelf.' And thefe Mrs Miller having expreffed great defire and curiofity to hear, he began and related to her his whole history, without once mentioning the name of Sophia.

There is a kind of fympathy in honeft minds, by means of which they give an eafy credit to each other. Mrs Miller believed all which Jones told here to be true, and expreffed much pity and concern for him. She was be

ginning to comment on the ftory, but Jones interrupted her: for as the hour of affignation now drew nigh, he began to ftipulate for a fecond interview with the lady that evening, which he promised fhould be the laft at her house; fwearing, at the fame time, that she was one of great diftinction, and that nothing but what was entirely innocent was to pass between them; and I do firmly believe he intended to keep his word.

Mrs Miller was at length prevailed on, and Jones departed to his chamber, where he fat alone till twelve o'clock, but no Lady Bellafton appeared.

As we have faid that this lady had a great affection for Jones, and as it must have appeared that the really had fo, the reader may perhaps wonder at the firft failure of her appointment, as fhe apprehended him to be confined by ficknefs, a feafon when friendship feems moft to require fuch vifits. This behaviour therefore in the lady, may, by fome, be condemned as unnatural; but that is not our fault; for our business is only to record truth.

CHA P. VI.

Containing a fcene which we doubt not will affect all our readers.

MR

R Jones closed not his eyes during all the former part of the night; not owing to any uneafinefs which he conceived at being disappointed by Lady Bellafton, nor was Sophia herself, though most of his walking hours were juftly to be charged to her account, the prefent caufe of difpelling his flumbers. In fact, poor Jones was one of the best-natured fellows alive, and had all that weakness which is called compaffion, and which diftinguishes this imperfect character from that noble firmnefs of mind, which rolls a man, as it were, within himfelf, and, like a polished bowl, enables him to run through the world, without being once ftopped by the calamities which happen to others. He could not help, therefore, compaffionating the fituation of poor Nancy, whofe love for Mr Nightingale feemed to him fo apparent, that he was aftonished at the blindness of her mother, who had more than once the preceding evening remarked to him