fuch as beggar all defcription. After many bitter execrations on Partridge, and not fewer on himfelf, he ordered the poor fellow, who was frightened out of his wits, to run down and hire him horses at any rate; and a very few minutes afterwards, having fhuffled on his clothes, he haftened down ftairs to execute the orders himself, which he had juft before given.

But before we proceed to what paffed on his arrival in the kitchen, it will be neceffary to recur to what there had happened fince Partridge had firft left it on his Mafter's fummons.

The ferjeant was just marched off with his party, when the two Irish gentlemen arofe, and came down stairs; both complaining that they had been so often waked by the noises in the inn, that they had never once been able to close their eyes all night.

The coach, which had brought the young Lady and her maid, and which, perhaps the Reader may have hitherto concluded was her own, was indeed a returned coach belonging to Mr. King of Bath, one of the worthieft and honefteft men that ever dealt in horfe-flefh, and whofe coaches we heartily recommend to all our Readers who travel that road. By which means they may, perhaps, have the pleasure of riding in the very coach, and being driven by the very coachman, that is recorded in this History.

The coachman having but two paffengers, and hearing Mr. Maclachlan was bound to Bath, offered to carry him thither at a very moderate price. He was induced to this by the report of the oftler, who faid, that the horse which Mr. Maclachlan had hired from Worcester, would be much more pleased with returning to his friends there, than to profecute a long journey; for that the faid horfe was rather a two-legged than a four-legged animal.

Mr. Maclachlan immediately closed with the propofal of the coachman, and, at the fame time, perfuaded his friend Fitzpatrick to accept of the fourth place in the coach. This conveyance the forenefs of his bones made more agreeable to him. than a horse; and being well affured of meeting with his wife at Bath, he thought a little delay would be of no confequence.

Maclachlan, who was much the fharper man. of the two, no fooner heard that this Lady came from Chester, with the other circumstances which he learned from the oftler, than it came into his head that fhe might poffibly be his friend's wife, and presently acquainted him with this fufpicion, I which had never once occurred to Fitzpatrick himfelf. To say the truth, he was one of those compofitions which nature makes up in too great a hurry, and forgets to put any brains into their head.

Now it happens to this fort of men, as to bad hounds, who never hit off a fault themselves; but

no fooner does a dog of fagacity open his mouth than they immediately do the fame, and without the guidance of any scent, run directly forwards as fast as they are able. In the fame manner, the very moment Mr. Maclachlan had mentioned his apprehenfion, Mr. Fitzpatrick instantly concurred, and flew directly up ftairs to furprise his wife, before he knew where she was; and unluckily (as fortune loves to play tricks with thofe gentlemen who put themselves entirely under her conduct) ran his head against several doors and posts to no purpose. Much kinder was fhe to me, when she suggested that fimile of the hounds, juft before inferted; fince the poor wife may, on thefe occafions, be fo juftly compared to a hunted hare. Like that little wretched animal, fhe pricks up her ears to liften after the voice of her pursuer; like her, flies away trembling when she hears it; and like her, is generally overtaken and had destroyed in the end.

This was not however the cafe at prefent; for after a long fruitless fearch, Mr. Fitzpatrick returned to the kitchen, where, as if this had been a real chace, entered a gentleman hallowing as hunters do when the hounds are at a fault. He was juft alighted from his horse, and had many attendants at his heels.

Here, Reader, it may be neceffary to acquaint thee with fome matters, which, if thou doft know already, thou art wiser than I take thee to be. And this information thou fhalt receive in the next Chapter.

CHA P. V I I.

In which are concluded the Adventures that happened at the Inn at Upton.

IN the first place then, this gentleman just arrived

was no other person than Squire Western himself, who was come hither in pursuit of his daughter; and had he fortunately been two hours earlier, he had found not only her, but his niece into the bargain; for fuch was the wife of Mr. Fitzpatrick, who had run away with her five years before, out of the custody of that fage Lady Madam Western.

Now this Lady had departed from the inn much about the fame time with Sophia: for having been waked by the voice of her husband, fhe had fent up for the landlady, and being by her apprised of the matter, had bribed the good woman, at an extravagant price, to furnish her with horfes for her escape. Such prevalence had money in this family; and though the Mistress would have turned away her maid for a corrupt huffy, if she had known as much as the Reader, yet fhe was no more proof against corruption herself than poor Sufan had been.

Mr. Western and his nephew were not known to one another; nor indeed would the former have taken any notice of the latter, if he had known him; for this being a stolen match, and confequently an unnatural one in the opinion of the good Squire, he had, from the time of her committing it, aban

doned the poor young creature, who was then no more than eighteen, as a monster, and had never fince fuffered her to be named in his prefence.

The kitchen was now a scene of universal confufion. Western inquiring after his daughter, and Fitzpatrick as eagerly after his wife, when Jones entered the room, unfortunately having Sophia's muff in his hand.

As foon as Western faw Jones, he fet up the fame holla as is used by sportsmen when their is in view. He then immediately run up game and laid hold of Jones, crying, "we have got the dog fox, I warrant the bitch is not far off. The jargon which followed for fome minutes, where many spoke different things at the fame time, as it would be very difficult to defcribe, so it would be no lefs unpleasant to read.

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Jones having, at length, fhaken Mr. Western off, and some of the company having interfered between them, our Hero protested his innocence as to knowing any thing of the Lady; when parfon Supple stepped up, and faid, "It is folly to deny ,, it; for why, the marks of guilt are in thy hands. I will myself affeverate and bind it by an oath, that the muff thou beareft in thy hand » belongeth unto Madam Sophia; for I have frequently observed her, of latter days, to bear ,, it about her. "My daughter's muff! cries the Squire, in a rage. "Has he got my daughter's

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