• riofity, Madam, I can steal foftly into his room, • and see whether he be in his own bed or no. She accordingly did this by Sophia's defire, and returned with an anfwer in the negative.

6

Sophia now trembled and turned pale. Mrs. Honour begged her to be comforted, and not to think any more of fo worthlefs a fellow. 'Why there,' fays Sufan, I hope, Madam, your Ladyfhip won't he offended; but pray, Madam, is not your Ladyfhip's name Madam Sophia Western? How is it poffible you fhould know me?' anfwered Sophia. • Why that man that the gentlewoman spoke of, who is in the kitchen, told about you laft night. But I hope your Ladyfhip is not angry with me.' Indeed, child,' faid the, I am not; pray tell me all, and I promise you I'll reward you.' Why, Madam,' continued Sufan, that man told us all • in the kitchen, that Madam Sophia Western-In• deed I don't know how to bring it out.'-Here she ftopped, till, having received encouragement from Sophia, and being vehemently preffed by Mrs. Honour, the proceeded thus: He told us, Madam, though to be fure it is all a lie, that your Ladyship was dying for love of the young 'fquire, and that he was going to the wars to get rid of I you. thought to myfelf then he was a falfe-hearted * wretch; but now to see such a fine, rich, beautiful lady as you be forsaken for such an ordinary woman; for to be fure fo fhe is, and another man's wife into the bargain. It is fuch a ftrange unnatural thing, in a manner.'

Sophia gave her a third guinea, and telling her fhe would certainly be her friend, if the mentioned nothing of what had paffed. nor informed any one who she was, difiniffed the girl with orders to the poft-boy. to get the hories ready immediately

.

Being now left alone with her maid, fhe told her trufty waiting-woman, That she never was more eafy than at prefent. I am now convinced,' faid fhe he is not only a villain, but a low despicable wretch. I can forgive all rather than his expofing my name in fo barbarous a manner. That renders

him

him the object of my contempt. Yes, Honour, I ' am now eafy. I am indeed. I am very eafy;' and then fhe burst into a violent flood of tears.

After a fhort interval, fpent by Sophia, chiefly in crying, and affuring her maid that he was perfectly eafy, Sufan arrived with an account that the horfes were ready, when a very extraordinary thought fuggefted itself to our young heroine, by which Mr. Jones would be acquainted with her having been at the inn, in a way, which, if any sparks of affection for her remained in him, would be at least fome punishment for his faults.

The reader will be pleased to remember a little muff, which hath had the honour of being more than once remembered already in this hiftory. This muff, ever fince the departure of Mr. Jones, had been the conftant companion of Sophia by day, and her bedfellow by night; and this muff fhe had at this very inftant upon her arm; whence fhe took it off with great indignation, and, having writ her name with her pencil upon a piece of paper which fhe pinned to it, the bribed the maid to convey it into the empty bed of Mr. Jones, in which if he did not find it, fhe charged her to take fome method of conveying it before his eyes in the morning.

Then having paid for what Mrs. Honour had eaten, in which bill was included an account for what the herself might have eaten, fhe mounted her horse, and, once more affuring her companion that she was perfectly easy, continued her journey.

CHAP. VI.

Containing, among other things, the ingenuity of Partridge, the madness of Jones, and the folly of Fitzpatrick.

T was now paft five in the morning, and other company began to rife and come to the kitchen, among whom were the ferjeant and the coachman, who. being thoroughly reconciled, made a libation, or, in the English phrafe, drank a hearty cup together.

In

1

In this drinking nothing more remarkable happened than the behaviour of Partridge, who, when the ferjeant drank a health to King George, repeated only the word King: nor could he be brought to utter more; for though he was going to fight against his own caufe, yet he could not be prevailed upon to drink against it.

Mr. Jones, being now returned to his own bed, (but from whence he returned we muft beg to be excufed from relating), fummoned Partridge from this agreeable company, who, after a ceremonious preface, having obtained leave to offer his advice, delivered himself as follows:

It is, Sir, an old faying, and a true one, that a wife man may fometimes learn counsel from a fool; I wish therefore I might be fo bold as to offer you my advice, which is to return home again, and leave thefe horrida bella, thefe bloody wars, to fel-⚫lows who are contented to swallow gunpowder, becaufe they have nothing elfe to eat. Now every

body knows your honour wants for nothing at home; when that's the cafe; why fhould any man travel abroad.

'Partridge,' cries Jones, thou art certainly a cow. ard: I wish therefore thou would't return home thyfelf, and trouble me no more.'

I afk you Honour's pardon,' cries Partridge, I fpoke on your account more than my own; for as to me, Heaven knows my circumftances are bad enough; and I am so far from being afraid, that I value a pistol, or a blunderbufs, or any fuch thing, no more than a pop-gun. Every man muft die once, • and what fignifies the manner how; befides, perhaps, I may come off with the lofs only of an arm or a leg. I affure you, Sir, I was never lefs afraid in my life; and fo, if your Honour is refolved to go on, I am refolved to follow you. But, in that cafe, 1 with I might give my opinion. To be fure it is a fcandalous way of travelling, for a great gentleman like you to walk a foot. Now here are two or three good horfes in the ftable, which the landlord will certainly make no fcruple of trufting you with; but,

if

if he fhould, I can eafily contrive to take them; and let the worst come to the worst, the King would certainly pardon you, as you are going to fight in his caufe.'

Now as the honesty of Partridge was equal to his understanding, and both dealt only in fmall matters, he would never have attempted a roguery of this kind, had he not imagined it altogether fafe; for he was one of thofe who have more confideration of the gallows than of the fitnefs of things; but, in reality, he thought he might have committed this felony without any danger: for, befides that he doubted not but the name of Mr Allworthy would fufficiently quiet the landlord, he conceived they fhould be altogether fafe, whatever turn affairs might take; as Jones, he ima gined, would have friends enough on one fide, and as his friends would as well fecure him on the other.

་

When Mr. Jones found that Partridge was in earnest in this propofal, he very feverely rebuked him, and that in fuch bitter terms, that the other attempted to laugh it off, and prefently turned the difcourfe to other matters, faying, he believed they were then in a bawdy-house, and that he had with much ado prevented two wenches from difturbing his Honour in the middle of the night. Heyday!' fays he, I believe they got into your chamber whether I would or no; for here lies the muff of one of them on the ground.' Indeed, as Jones returned to his bed in the dark, he had never perceived the muff on the quilt, and in leaping into his bed he had tumbled it on the floor. This Partridge now took up, and was going to put into his pocket, when Jones defired to fee it. The muff was fo very remarkable, that our hero might poffibly have recollected it without the information annexed. But his memory was not put to that hard office; for at the fame inftant he faw and read the words Sophia Weftern upon the paper which was pinned to it. His looks now grew frantic in a moment, and he eagerly cried out, Oh Heavens, how came this muff here! I know no more than your 'Honour,' cried Partridge; but I faw it upon the < arm of one of the women who would have difturbed 'you,

you, if I would have fuffered them.' • Where are 'they' cries Jones, jumping out of bed, and laying hold of his clothes 6 Many miles off, I believe, by this time,' faid Partridge And now Jones, upon further enquiry, was fufficiently affured that the bearer of this muff was no other than the lovely Sophia herself.

The behaviour of Jones on this occafion, his thoughts, his looks, his words, his actions, were fuch as beggar all defcription. After many bitter execrations on Partridge, and not fewer on himfelf, he or dered the poor fellow, who was frightened out of his wits, to run down and hire him horfes at any rate; and, a very few minutes afterwards, having thuffled on his clothes, he haftened down ftairs to execute the orders himself, which he had just before given.

But, before we proceed to what passed on his arri val in the kitchen, it will be neceffary to recur to what had there happened fince Partridge had first left it on his mafter's fummons.

The ferjeant was juft marched off with his party, when the two Irish gentlemen arofe, and came down Aairs; both complaining, that they had been so often waked by the noifes 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 worthief and honefteft men that ever dealt in horfe-flesh, 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 going to Bath, offered to carry him thither at a very moderate price. He was induced to this by the report of the holtler, 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 jour

ney;.