Lappy fituation in which he had placed poor Nancy. He no fooner faw his friend appear, than he arofe hastily to meet him; and, after much congratulation, faid, 'Nothing could be more opportune than this kind vifit; for I was never more in the spleen in my life.'

I am forry,' anfwered Jones, that I bring news very unlikely to relieve you; nay, what I am convinced muft, of all other, fhock you the moft. However, it is neceffary you fhould know it. Without further preface then, I come to you, Mr Nightingale, from a wor- ́ thy family, which you have involved in mifery and ruin.' Mr Nightingale changed colour at these words ; but Jones, without regarding it, proceeded, in the livelieft manner, to paint the tragical flory, with which the reader was acquainted in the lait chapter.

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Nightingale never once interrupted the narration, tho' he difcovered violent emotions at many parts of it. But when it was concluded, after fetching a deep figh, he faid, What you tell me, my friend, affects me in the tendereft manner. Sure there never was fo curfed an accident as the poor girl's betraying my letter. Her reputation might otherwife have been fafe, and the af fair might have remained a profound fecret; and then the giri might have gone off never the worfe; for mayuch things happen in this town; and if the husband fhould fufpect a little when it is too late, it will be his wifer conduct to conceal his fufpicion both from his wife and the world.'

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Indeed, my friend,' anfwered Jones, this could not have been the cafe with your poor Nancy. You have fo entirely gained her affection, that it is the lofs of you, and not of her reputation, which afflicts her, and will end in the deftruction of her and her family.? Nay! for that matter, I promife you,' cries Nightingale, fhe hath my affections fo abfolutely, that my wife, whoever fhe is to be, will have very little fhare in them.' And is it poffible then,' faid Jones, you can think of deferting her? Why, what can I do? anfwered the other. Afk Mifs Nancy,' replied Jones warmly. In the condition to which you have reduced

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her, I fincerely think he ought to determine what reparation you fhall make her. Her intereft alone, and

not yours, ought to be your fole confideration. But if you ask me what you fhall do; what can you do lefs,' cries Jones, than fulfil the expectations of her family and her own? Nay, I fincerely tell you, they were mine too, ever fince I firft faw you together. You will pardon me, if I prefume on the friendship you have favoured me with moved as I am with compaffion for those poor creatures. But your own heart will bet fuggeft to you, whether you have never intended, by your conduct, to perfuade the mother, as well as the daughter, into an opinion, that you defigned honour • ably and if fo, though there have been no direct pro. 'mife of marriage in the cafe, I will leave to your own good understanding, how far you are bound to proceed.'

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Nay, I must not only confefs what you have hinted,' faid Nightingale; but I am afraid, even that very promife you mention I have given.' And can you, after. owning that,' faid Jones, hefitate a moment? Confider, my friend,' answered the other; I know you are a man of honour, and would advife no one to act contrary to its rules; if there were no other objection, can I, after this publication of her difgrace, think of fuch " an allience with honour?' Undoubtedly,' replied Jones, and the very best and truet honour, which is goodness, requires it for you. As you mention a fcruple of this kind, you will give me leave to examine it. Can you, with honour, be guilty of having, under falfe pretences, deceived a young woman and her family, and of having, by these means, treacherously robbed her of her innocence? Can you, with honour, be the knowing the wilful occafion, nay, the artful contriver of the ruin of a human being? Can you, with honour, deftroy the fame, the peace, nay, probably, both the life and foul too of this creature? Can honour bear the thought, that this creature is a tender, helplefs, defencelefs, young woman? a young woman who loves, who doats on you, who dies for you; who hath placed the utmost confidence in your promises; and to that confidence hath facrifical every thing which is dear to her! Can honour fupport fuch contemplations as thefe a moment?'

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Common fenfe, indeed,' faid Nightingale, warrants all you fay; but yet you well know the opinion of the world is fo contrary to it, that if I was to marry a whore, though my own, I fhould be ashamed of ever showing my face again.'

Fie upon it, Mr Nightingale,' faid Jones, do not call her by fo ungenerous a name: When you promised to < marry her, fhe became your wife; and the hath finned more against prudence than virtue. And what is this world, which you would be afhamed to face, but the vile, the foolish, and the profligate? Forgive me, if I fay fuch a fhame muft proceed from falfe modefty, which always attend falfe honour as its fhadow.-But I am well affured there is not a man of real fenfe and goodness in the world, who would not honour and applaud the action. But admit no other would, would not your own heart, my friend applaud it? And do not the warm, rapturous fenfations, which we feel from the consciousness of an honeft, noble, generous, • benevolent action, convey more delight to the mind, ⚫ than the undeferved praife of millions? Set the alternative fairly before your eyes. On the one fide, fee this poor, unhappy, tender, believing girl, in the arms of her wretched mother, breathing her laft. Hear her breaking heart in agonies, fighing out your name; and lamenting, rather than accufing, the cruelty which weighs her down to deftruction. Paint to your imagination the circumftances of her fond, despairing pa. rent, driven to madnefs, or, perhaps, to death, by the lofs of her lovely daughter. View the poor, helpless orphan infant and when your mind hath dwelt a moment only on fuch ideas, confider yourself as the caufe of all the ruin of this poor, little, worthy, defenceless. < family. On the other fide, confider yourfelf as relieving them from their temporary fufferings.. Think with what joy, with what tranfports that lovely creature will fly to your arms. See her blood returning to her pale cheeks, her fire to her languid eyes, and raptures to her tortured breaft. Confider the exultations of her mother, the happiness of all. Think of this little family made, by one act of yours, completely happy. Think of this alternative, and fure I am mif

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taken in my friend, if it requires any long deliberation, whether he will fink thefe wretches down for ever, or, by one generous, noble refolution, raise them all from the brink of mifery and defpair, to the higheft pitch of • human happiness. Add to this, but one consideration: more; the confideration that it is your duty fo to do. -That the mifery from which you will relieve these poor people is the mifery which you yourfelf have wil fully brought upon them."

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O my dear friend,' cries Nightingale, I wanted not your eloquence to roufe me. I pity poor Nancy from my foul, and would willingly give any thing in my power, that no familiarities had ever paffed between Nay, believe me, I had many ftruggles with my paffion, before I could prevail with myself to write that cruel letter, which had caufed all the mifery int that unhappy family. If I had no inclinations to confult but my own, I would marry her to-morrow morning I would, by Heaven: but you will easily imagine how impoffible it would be to prevail on my father to confent to fuch a match; befides, he hath provided another for me; and to-morrow, by his exprefs command,. I am to wait on the lady.'

I have not the honour to know your father," faid Jones; but fuppofe he could be perfuaded, would you yourfelf confent to the only means of preferving thefe poor people? As eagerly as I would purfue my happinefs, anfwered Nightingale; for I never fhall find it in any other woman.-O my dear friend, could you imagine what I have felt within these twelve hours for my poor girl, I am convinced he would not ingrofs all your pity. Paffion leads me only to her and if I had any foolish fcruples of honour, you have fully satisfied them could my father be induced to comply with my defires, nothing would be wanting to complete my own happiness, or that of my Nancy.'

Then I am refolved to undertake it," faid Jones," You must not be angry with me, in whatever light it may be neceffary to fet this affair, which you may depend on it, could not otherwife be long hid from him :for things of this nature make a quick progrefs when once they get abroad, as this unhappily bathe prcedis,

Befides, fhould any fatal accident follow, as, upon my foul, I am afraid will, unless immediately prevented, the public would ring of your name, in a manner which, if your father hath common humanity, must offend him. If you will therefore tell me where I may find the old gentleman, I will not lofe a moment in the business; which while I purfue, you cannot do a more generous action than by paying a vifit to the poor girl. You will find I have not exaggerated in the account I have given of the wretchednefs of the family.'

Nightingale immediately confented to the proposal; and now having acquainted Jones with his father's lodging, and the coffeehoufe where he would moft probably find him, he hesitated a moment, and then faid, 'My dear Tom, you are going to undertake an impoffibility. If 6 you knew my father, you would never think of obtaining his confent.- -Stay, there is one way,-Suppofe you told him I was already married, it might be easier to reconcile him to the fact after it was done; and upon 6 my honour, I am fo affected with what you have faid, and I love my Nancy fo paffionately, I almoft with it was done, whatever might be the confequence.'

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Jones greatly approved the hint, and promifed to purfue it. They then feparated, Nightingale to vifit his Naney, and Jones in queft of the old gentleman.

CHA P. VIII.

What paffed between Jones and old Mr Nightingale ; with the arrival of a perfon not yet mentioned in this hiftory.

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OTWITHSTANDING the fentiment of the Roman fatirift, which denies the divinity of fortune, and the opinion of Seneca, to the fame purpofe; Cicero, who was, I believe. a wifer man than either of them, exprefsly holds the contrary: and certain it is, there are fome incidents in life fo very frange and unaccountable, that it feems to require more than human skill and forefight in producing them.

Of this kind was what now happened to Jones, who` found Mr Nightingale, the elder, in fo critical a minute,