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therefore ordered her servants, that when my lord was going, they should tell him, she desired to speak with him; and employed the intermediate time in meditating how best to accomplish a scheme, which she made no doubt but his lordship would very readily embrace the execution of.

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Lord Fellamar, (for that was the title of this young nobleman,) was no sooner introduced to her ladyship, than she attacked him in the following strain: Bless me, my lord, are you here yet? I thought my servants had made mistake, and let you go away; and I wanted to see you about an affair of some importance.'-Indeed, Lady Bellaston,' said he, 'I don't wonder you are astonished at the length of my visit; for I have staid above two hours, and I did not think I had staid above half a one.'-'What am I to conclude from thence, my lord?' said she: the company must be very agreeable, which can make time slide away so very deceitfully.'- Upon my honour,' said he, the most agreeable I ever saw. Pray tell me, Lady Bellaston, who is this blazing star which you have produced among us all of a sudden?'--What blazing star, my lord?' said she, affecting surprise. I mean,' said he, the lady I saw here the other day, whom I had last night in my arms at the playhouse, and to whom I have been making that unreasonable visit.'-'O, my cousin Western!' says she. Why that blazing star, my lord, is the daughter of a country booby squire, and hath been in town about a fortnight, for the first time.'-- Upon my soul,' said he, 'I should swear she had been bred up in a court; for, besides her beauty, I never saw any thing so genteel, so sensible, so polite.O brave!' cries the lady; * my cousin hath you, I find.'-' Upon my honour,' answered he, 'I wish she had; for I am in love with her to distraction.''Nay, my lord,' said she, it is not wishing yourself very ill neither, for she is a very great fortune: I assure you, she is an only child, and her father's estate is a good 3000l. a-year.' Then I can assure you, madam,' answered the lord, 'I think her the best match in England.'-'Indeed, my lord, replied she, if you like her, I heartily wish you had her. If you think so kindly of me, madam,' said he, 'as she is a relation of yours, will you do me the honour to propose it to her father?' And are you really then in earnest?' cries the lady, with an affected gravity. I hope, madam,' answered he, you have a better opinion of me, than to imagine I would jest with your ladyship in an affair of this kind.'-'Indeed, then,' said the lady, 'I will most readily propose your lordship to her father; and I can, I believe, assure you of his joyful acceptance of the proposal; but there is a bar, which I am almost ashamed to mention; and

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yet it is one you will never be able to conquer. You have a rival, my lord; and a rival who, though I blush to name him, neither you, nor all the world, will ever be able to conquer.'-Upon my word, Lady Bellaston,' cries he, you have struck a damp to my heart, which hath almost deprived me of being.'-Fie! my lord,' said she; 'I should rather hope I had struck fire into you. A lover, and talk of damps in your heart! I rather imagined you would have asked your rival's name, that you might have immediately entered the lists with him.'

I promise you, madam,' answered he, there are very few things I would not undertake for your charming cousin: but pray, who is this happy man?'—' Why, he is,' said she, 'what I am sorry to say, most happy men with us are, one of the lowest fellows in the world. He is a beggar, a bastard, a foundling, a fellow in meaner circumstances than one of your lordship's footmen.'-' And is it possible,' cried he, that a young creature with such perfections should think of bestowing herself so unworthily?'- Alas! my lord,' answered she, 'consider the country-the bane of all young women is the country. There they learn a set of romantic notions of love, and I know not what folly, which this town and good company can scarce eradicate in a whole winter.'-'Indeed, madam,' replied my lord, 'your cousin is of too immense a value to be thrown away: such ruin as this must be prevented.

Alas!' cries she, my lord, how can it be prevented? The family have already done all in their power; but the girl is, I think, intoxicated, and nothing less than ruin will content her. And, to deal more openly with you, I expect every day to hear she has run away with him. What you tell me, Lady Bellaston,' answered his lordship, affects me most tenderly, and only raises my compassion, instead of lessening my adoration of your cousin. Some means must be found to preserve so inestimable a jewel. Hath your ladyship endeavoured to reason with her?' Here the lady affected a laugh, and cried, 'My dear lord, sure you know us better than to talk of reasoning a young woman out of her inclinations? These inestimable jewels are as deaf as the jewels they wear: time, my lord, time is the only medicine to cure their folly: but this is a medicine which I am certain she will not take; nay, I live in hourly horrors on her account. In short, nothing but violent methods will do.' What is to be done?' cries my lord: 'What methods are to be taken? Is there any method upon earth? Oh! Lady Bellaston, there is nothing which I would not undertake for such a reward.'-'I really know not,' answered

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the lady, after a pause; and then, pausing at the close of the late war, that all the again, she cried out, Upon my soul, I am members should every day fight once at at my wit's ends on this girl's account. If least; so it was in this, that every member she can be preserved, something must be should, within the twenty-four hours, tell at done immediately; and, as I say, nothing least one merry fib, which was to be probut violent methods will do. If your lord- pagated by all the brethren and sisterhood. ship hath really this attachment to my Many idle stories were told about this socousin, (and, to do her justice, except in ciety, which from a certain quality may be, this silly inclination, of which she will soon perhaps not unjustly, supposed to have see her folly, she is every way deserving,) come from the society themselves. As, I think there may be one way: indeed it is that the devil was the president, and that a very disagreeable one, and what I am al- he sat in person in an elbow-chair at most afraid to think of. It requires a great the upper end of the table; but, upon spirit, I promise you.'-'I am not conscious, very strict inquiry, I find there is not the madam,' said he, of any defect there; nor least truth in any of those tales; and that am I, I hope, suspected of any such. It the assembly consisted in reality of a set of must be an egregious defect indeed, which very good sort of people; and the fibs which could make me backward on this occasion.' they propagated were of a harmless kind, -Nay, my lord,' answered she, 'I am so and tended only to produce mirth and good far from doubting you, I am much more humour. inclined to doubt my own courage; for I must run a monstrous risk. In short, I must place such a confidence in your honour, as a wise woman will scarce ever place in a man on any consideration.' In this point, likewise, my lord very well satisfied her; for his reputation was extremely clear, and common fame did him no more than justice in speaking well of him. Well, then,' said she, 'my lord,-I-I vow, I can't bear the apprehension of it. No, it must To this time, then, which was between not be. At least every other method shall seven and eight in the evening, we will be tried. Can you get rid of your engage- convey our reader; when Lady Bellaston, ments, and dine here to-day? Your lord-Lord Fellamar, Miss Western, and Tom, ship will have an opportunity of seeing a little more of Miss Western. I promise you we have no time to lose. Here will be nobody but Lady Betty, and Miss Eagle, and Colonel Hamstead, and Tom Edwards: they will all go soon, and I shall be at home to nobody. Then your lordship may be a little more explicit. Nay, I will contrive Mr. Edwards then began as follows: some method to convince you of her at-The fault is not mine, madam; it lies in tachment to this fellow.' My lord made the dulness of the age, that doth nothing proper compliments, accepted the invita- worth talking of. O la! though now tion, and then parted to dress, it being think on't, there hath a terrible accident now past three in the morning, or, to befallen poor Colonel Wilcox-Poor Ned! reckon by the old style, in the afternoon. You knew him, my lord; every body knows him; faith! I am very much concerned for him.'

CHAPTER III.

Edwards was likewise a member of this comical society. To him, therefore, Lady Bellaston applied as a proper instrument for her purpose, and furnished him with a fib, which he was to vent whenever the lady gave him her cue; and this was not to be till the evening, when all the company but Lord Fellamar and himself were gone, and while they were engaged in a rubber at whist.

being engaged at whist, and in the last game of their rubbers, Tom received his cue from Lady Bellaston, which was, ‘I protest, Tom, you are grown intolerable lately; you used to tell us all the news of the town, and now you know no more of the world than if you lived out of it.'

'What is it, pray? says Lady Bellaston. 'Why, he hath killed a man this morning in a duel, that's all.'

A further explanation of the foregoing design. THOUGH the reader may have long since His lordship, who was not in the secret, concluded Lady Bellaston to be a member, asked gravely, whom he had killed? To (and no inconsiderable one,) of the great which Edwards answered, 'A young felworld, she was in reality a very considera-low we none of us know; a Somersetshire ble member of the little world; by which lad, just come to town, one Jones his name appellation was distinguished a very wor-is; a near relation of one Mr. Allworthy, thy and honourable society, which not long of whom your lordship, I believe, hath since flourished in this kingdom.

Among other good principles upon which this society was founded, there was one very remarkable: for as it was a rule of an honourable club of heroes, who assembled

heard. I saw the lad lie dead in a coffeehouse. Upon my soul he is one of the finest corpses I ever saw in my life.'

Sophia, who had just began to deal, as Tom had mentioned that a man was killed,

stopped her hand, and listened with atten- | tion, (for all stories of that kind affected her;) but no sooner had he arrived at the latter part of the story, than she began to deal again; and having dealt three cards to one, and seven to another, and ten to a third, at last dropped the rest from her hand, and fell back in her chair.

The company behaved as usual on these occasions. The usual disturbance ensued, the usual assistance was summoned, and Sophia at last, as it is usual, returned again to life, and was soon after, at her earnest desire, led to her own apartment; where, at my lord's request, Lady Bellaston acquainted her with the truth, attempted to carry it off as a jest of her own, and comforted her with repeated assurances that neither his lordship, nor Tom, though she had taught him the story, were in the true secret of the affair.

There was no farther evidence necessary to convince Lord Fellamar how justly the case had been represented to him by Lady Bellaston; and now, at her return into the room, a scheme was laid between these two noble persons, which, though it appeared in no very heinous light to his lordship, (as he faithfully promised, and faithfully resolved, too, to make the lady all the subsequent amends in his power by marriage ;) yet many of our readers, we doubt not, will see with just detestation.

Between the acting of a dreadful thing,
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream
The genius and the mortal instruments
Are then in council; and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.

Though the violence of his passion had made him eagerly embrace the first hint of this design, especially as it came from a relation of the lady, yet when that friend to reflection, a pillow, had placed the action itself in all its natural black colours before his eyes, with all the consequences which must, and those which might, probably attend it, his resolution began to abate, or rather indeed to go over to the other side; and after a long conflict, which lasted a whole night between honour and appetite, the former at length prevailed, and he determined to wait on Lady Bellaston, and to relinquish the design.

Lady Bellaston was in bed, though very late in the morning, and Sophia sitting by her bed-side, when the servant acquainted her that Lord Fellamar was below in the parlour; upon which her ladyship desired him to stay, and that she would see him presently; but the servant was no sooner departed, than poor Sophia began to entreat her cousin not to encourage the visits of that odious lord, (so she called him, though a little unjustly,) upon her account. The next evening, at seven, was ap- I see his design,' said she; for he made pointed for the fatal purpose, when Lady downright love to me yesterday morning; Bellaston undertook that Sophia should be but, as I am resolved never to admit it, I alone, and his lordship should be introduced beg your ladyship not to leave us alone toto her. The whole family were to be re-gether any more, and to order the servants gulated for the purpose, most of the ser- that, if he inquires for me, I may always be vants despatched out of the house; and for denied to him.' Mrs. Honour, who, to prevent suspicion, was to be left with her mistress till his lordship's arrival, Lady Bellaston herself was to engage her in an apartment, as distant as possible from the scene of the intended mischief, and out of the hearing of Sophia. Matters being thus agreed on, his lordship took his leave, and her ladyship retired to rest, highly pleased with a project, of which she had no reason to doubt the success, and which promised so effectually to remove Sophia from being any future obstruction to her amour with Jones, by a means of which she should never appear to be guilty, even if the fact appeared to the world: but this she made no doubt of preventing by huddling up a marriage, to which she thought the ravished Sophia "Upon my honour, madam,' cries Sophia, would easily be brought to consent, and at your ladyship injures me. I will never run which all the rest of her family would re-away with any man; nor will I ever marjoice. ry contrary to my father's inclinations.'

But affairs were not in so quiet a situation in the bosom of the other conspirator; his mind was tossed in all the distracting anxiety so nobly described by Shakespeare:

La! child,' says Lady Bellaston, 'you country girls have nothing but sweethearts in your heads; you fancy every man who is civil to you is making love. He is one of the most gallant young fellows about town, and I am convinced means no more than a little gallantry. Make love to you, indeed! I wish with all my heart he would; and you must be an arrant mad woman to refuse him.'

'But as I shall certainly be that mad woman,' cries Sophia, I hope his visits shall not be intruded upon me."

"O child!' said Lady Bellaston, 'you need not be so fearful; if you resolve to run away with that Jones, I know no person who can hinder you.'

'Well, Miss Western,' said the lady, 'if you are not in a humour to see company this morning, you may retire to your own apartment; for I am not frightened at

his lordship, and must send for him up into my dressing-room.'

Sophia thanked her ladyship, and withdrew; and presently afterwards Fellamar was admitted up stairs.

CHAPTER IV.

By which it will appear how dangerous an advocate a lady is, when she applies her eloquence to an ill

purpose.

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though I must own he doth not deserve I hope so, madam,' said my lord; her; for unless Heaven, or your ladyship, disappoint me, she shall within that time be in mine.'

you mentioned this matter to me first; for I would not appear to you in the light of one who is endeavouring to put off my cousin upon you. Fourscore thousand pounds doth not stand in need of an advocate to recommend them.'-'Nor doth Miss Western,' said he, 'require any recommendation from her fortune: for in my opinion, no woman ever had half her charms.'Yes, yes, my lord,' replied the lady, looking in the glass, there have been women with more than half her charms, I assure WHEN Lady Bellaston heard the young count: she is a most delicious girl, that's you; not that I need lessen her on that aclord's scruples, she treated them with the certain; and within these few hours she same disdain with which one of those sages will be in the arms of one, who surely doth of the law, called Newgate solicitors, treats not deserve her; though I will give him his the qualms of conscience in a young wit-due, I believe he is truly a man of spirit.' ness. My dear lord,' said she, you certainly want a cordial! I must send to Lady Edgely, for one of her best drams. Fie upon it! have more resolution. Are you frightened by the word rape? Or are you apprehensive Well! if the story of Helen was modern, I should think it un-lady; I promise you no disappointment 'Well spoken, my lord,' answered the natural: I mean the behaviour of Paris, not shall happen from my side; and within the fondness of the lady; for all women this week I am convinced I shall call your love a man of spirit. There is another lordship my cousin in public.' story of the Sabine ladies,-and that too, I The remainder of this scene consisted thank Heaven, is very ancient. Your lord- entirely of raptures, excuses, and compliship, perhaps, will admire my reading; but ments, very pleasant to have heard from I think Mr. Hook tells us, they made tole- the parties, but rather dull when related at rable good wives afterwards. I fancy few second hand. Here, therefore, we shall of my married acquaintance were ravished put an end to this dialogue, and hasten to by their husbands.'-' Nay, dear lady Bel- the fatal hour, when every thing was prelaston,' cried he, don't ridicule me in this pared for the destruction of poor Sophia. manner.'-'Why, my good lord,' answered But this being the most tragical matter she, do you think any woman in England in our whole history, we shall treat it in a would not laugh at you in her heart, what-chapter by itself. ever prudery she might wear in her countenance? You force me to use a strange kind of language, and to betray my sex most abominably; but I am contented with knowing my intentions are good, and that I am endeavouring to serve my cousin ; for I think you will make her a husband not- THE clock had now struck seven, and withstanding this; or, upon my soul, I poor Sophia, alone and melancholy, sat would not even persuade her to fling her-reading a tragedy. It was The Fatal self away upon an empty title. She should Marriage; and she was now come to that not upbraid me hereafter with having lost part where the poor distressed Isabella disa man of spirit; for that his enemies allow poses of her wedding-ring. this poor young fellow to be.'

CHAPTER V.

Containing some matters which may affect, and others which may surprise the reader.

Here the book dropped from her hand, Let those, who have had the satisfaction and a shower of tears ran down into her of hearing reflections of this kind from a bosom. In this situation she had continued wife or mistress, declare whether they are a minute, when the door opened, and in at all sweetened by coming from a female came Lord Fellamar. Sophia started from tongue. Certain it is, they sunk deeper her chair at his entrance; and his lordship into his lordship than any thing which De-advancing forwards, and making a low mosthenes or Cicero could have said on the occasion.

Lady Bellaston, perceiving she had fired the young lord's pride, began now, like a true orator, to rouse other passions to its assistance. My lord,' said she, in a grave voice, you will be pleased to remember,

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bow, said, 'I am afraid, Miss Western, I break in upon you abruptly.'-'Indeed, my lord,' says she, 'I must own myself a little surprised at this unexpected visit.'-' If this visit be unexpected, madam,' answered Lord Fellamar, my eyes must have been very faithless interpreters of my heart, when

am resolved to prevent, the only way which despair points to me.' He then caught her in his arms; upon which she screamed so loud, that she must have alarmed some one to her assistance, had not Lady Bellaston taken care to remove all ears.

But a more lucky circumstance happened for poor Sophia: another noise now broke forth, which almost drowned her cries; for now the whole house rang with, 'Where is she? D-n me, I'll unkennel her this instant! Show me her chamber, I say. Where is my daughter? I know she's in the house, and I'll see her if she's above ground. Show me where she is.' At which last words the door flew open, and in came Squire Western, with his parson, and a set of myrmidons at his heels.

last I had the honour of seeing you; for will I live, without you.'-'What do you surely you could not otherwise have hoped mean, my lord?" said Sophia; 'I will raise to detain my heart in your possession, with- the family.'-'I have no fear, madam,' anout receiving a visit from its owner.' So-swered he, but of losing you, and that I phia, confused as she was, answered this bombast, (and very properly I think,) with a look of inconceivable disdain. My lord then made another and a longer speech of the same sort. Upon which Sophia, trembling, said, 'Am I really to conceive your lordship to be out of your senses? Sure, my lord, there is no other excuse for such behaviour.'-'I am, indeed, madam, in the situation you suppose,' cries his lordship; and sure you will pardon the effects of a frenzy which you yourself have occasioned; for love hath so totally deprived me of reason, that I am scarce accountable for any of my actions.'-'Upon my word, my lord,' said Sophia, 'I neither understand your words nor your behaviour.'-'Suffer me, then, madam,' cries he, at your feet to explain both, by laying open my soul to you, and declaring that I dote on you to the highest degree of distraction. O, most ado-dition of poor Sophia, when the enraged rable, most divine creature! what language can express the sentiments of my heart?''I do assure you, my lord,' said Sophia, 'I shall not stay to hear any more of this.''Do not,' cries he, think of leaving me thus cruelly: could you know half the torments which I feel, that tender bosom must pity what those eyes have caused.' Then fetching a deep sigh, and laying hold of her hand, he ran on for some minutes in a strain which would be little more pleasing to the reader than it was to the lady; and at last concluded with a declaration, That if he was master of the world, he would lay it at her feet.'

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Sophia then forcibly pulling away her hand from his, answered, with much spirit, 'I promise you, sir, your world and its master, I should spurn from me with equal contempt.' She then offered to go; and Lord Fellamar again laying hold of her hand, said, 'Pardon me, my beloved angel, freedoms which nothing but despair could have tempted me to take. Believe me, could I have had any hope that my title and fortune, neither of them inconsiderable, unless when compared to your worth, would have been accepted, I had, in the humblest manner, presented them to your acceptance. But I cannot lose you. By Heaven, I will sooner part with my soul! You are, you must, you shall be only mine.'

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My lord,' says she, I entreat you to desist from a vain pursuit; for, upon my honour, I will never hear you on this subject. Let go my hand, my lord; for I am resolved to go from you this moment; nor will I ever see you more.'-Then, madam,' cries his lordship, 'I must make the best use of this moment; for I cannot live, nor

How miserable must have been the con

voice of her father was welcome to her ears? Welcome indeed it was; and luckily did he come: for it was the only accident upon earth which could have preserved the peace of her mind from being for ever destroyed.

Sophia, notwithstanding her fright, presently knew her father's voice; and his lordship, notwithstanding his passion, knew the voice of reason, which peremptorily assured him, it was not now a time for the perpetration of his villany. Hearing, therefore, the voice approach, and hearing likewise whose it was, (for as the squire more than once roared forth the word daughter, so Sophia, in the midst of her struggling, cried out upon her father,) he thought proper to relinquish his prey, having only disordered her handkerchief, and with his rude lips committed violence on her lovely neck.

If the reader's imagination doth not assist me, I shall never be able to describe the situation of these two persons when Western came into the room. Sophia tottered into a chair, where she sat disordered, pale, breathless, bursting with indignation at Lord Fellamar, affrighted, and yet more rejoiced at the arrival of her father.

His lordship sat down near her, with the bag of his wig hanging over one of his shoulders, the rest of his dress being somewhat disordered, and rather a greater proportion of linen than is usual appearing at his bosom. As to the rest, he was amazed, affrighted, vexed, and ashamed.

As to Squire Western, he happened, at this time, to be overtaken by an enemy, which very frequently pursues, and seldom fails to overtake, most of the country gea

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