he gained to his mafter. Perhaps Jones might have feen him in that light, and have recollected the paf fage, where the Sibyl, in order to procure an entrance for Æneas, prefents the keeper of the Stygian avenue with fuch a fop. Jones, in like manner, now began to offer a bribe to the human Cerberus, which a footman overhearing, inftantly advanced, and declared, if Mr. Jones would give him the fum propofed, he • would conduct him to the lady.' Jones inftantly agreed, and was forthwith conducted to the lodging of Mirs. Fitzpatrick, by the very fellow who had attended the ladies thither the day before.

Nothing more aggravates ill fuccefs than the near approach to good. The gamefter, who lofes his party at piquet by a fingle point, laments his bad luck ten times as much as he who never came within a profpect of the game. So in a lottery, the proprietors of the next numbers to that which wins the great prize, are apt to account themselves much more unfortunate than their fellow-fufferers. In fhort thefe kind of hairbreadth miffings of happiness look like the infults of fortune, who may be confidered as thus playing tricks with us, and wantonly diverting herfelf at our expence.

Jones, who more than once already had experienced this frolickfome difpofition of the heathen goddefs, was now again doomed to be tantalized in the like manner: for he arrived at the door of Mrs. Fitzpatrick, about ten minutes after the departure of Sophia. He now addreffed himself to the waiting woman belonging to Mrs. Fitzpatrick, who told him the difagreeable news that the lady was gone, but could not tell him whi ther; and the fame answer he afterwards received from Mrs. Fitzpatrick herfelf. For as that lady made no doubt but that Mr. Jones was a perfon detached from her uncle Western, in pursuit of his daughter, so she was too generous to betray her.

Though Jones had never feen Mrs. Fitzpatrick, yet he had heard that a coufin of Sophia was married to a gentleman of that name, This, however, in the prefent tumult of his mind, never once recurred to his memory but when the footman, who had conducted him from his lordship's, acquainted him with

the great intimacy between the ladies, and with their calling each other coufin, he then recollected the ftory of the marriage which he had formerly heard; and, as he was prefently convinced that this was the fame woman, he became more surprised at the anfwer which he had received, and very earnestly defired leave to wait on the lady herself; but she as pofitively refused him that honour.

Jones, who, though he had never feen a court, was better bred than mot who frequent it, was incapable of any rude or abrupt behaviour to a lady. When he had received, therefore, a peremptory denial, he retired for the prefent, faying to the waiting-woman, • That, if this was an improper hour to wait on her Ilady, he would return in the afternoon; and that he then hoped to have the honour of feeing her.' The civility with which he uttered this, added to the great comeliness of his person, made an impreffion on the waiting-woman, and fhe could not help answering, Perhaps, Sir, you may: and, indeed, she afterwards faid every thing to her mistress, which the thought most likely to prevail on her to admit a vifit from the handsome young gentleman; for fo fhe called

him.

Jones very fhrewdly fufpected, that Sophia herfelf was now with her coufin, and was denied to him; which he imputed to her refentment of what had happened at Upton. Having, therefore, difpatched Partridge to procure him lodgings, he remained all day in the street, watching the door where he thought his angel lay concealed; but no perfon did he fee iffue forth, except a fervant of the house; and in the evening he returned to pay his vifit to Mrs. Fitzpatrick, which that good lady at laft condefcended to admit.

There is a certain air of natural gentility, which it is neither in the power of drefs to give, nor to conceal. Mr. Jones, as hath been before hinted, was poffeffed of this in a very eminent degree. He met, therefore, with a reception from the lady, fomewhat different from what his apparel feemed to demand; and, after he had paid her his proper refpects, was defired to fit down.

VOL. VIII.

D d

The

The reader will not, I believe, be defirous of knowing all the particulars of this converfation, which ended very little to the fatisfaction of poor Jones: for though Mrs. Fitzpatrick foon difcovered the lover, (as all women have the eyes of hawks in those matters), yet the ftill thought it was fuch a lover, as a generous friend of the lady fhould not betray her to. In fhort, fhe fufpected this was the very Mr. Blifil, from whom Sophia had flown; and all the answers, which fhe artfully drew from Jones concerning Mr. Allworthy's family, confirmed her in this opinion. She therefore ftrictly denied any knowledge concerning the place whither Sophia was gone; nor could Jones obtain more than a permiffion to wait on her again the next evening.

When Jones was departed, Mrs. Fitzpatrick communicated her fufpicion concerning Mr. Blifil to her maid, who answered, Sure, Madam, he is too pretty a man, in my opinion, for any woman in the world to run away from. I had rather fancy it is Mr. Jones.' - Mr. Jones,' faid the lady; what Jones?' For Sophia had not given the leaft hint of any fuch perfon in all their converfation: but Mrs. Honour had been much more communicative, and had acquainted her fifter Abigail with the whole hiftory of Jones, which this now again related to her mistress.

Mrs. Fitzpatrick no fooner received this information, than the immediately agreed with the opinion of her maid; and. what is very unaccountable, faw charms in the gallant happy lover, which he had overlooked in the flighted fquire. Betty,' fays fhe, you are certainly in the right: he is a very pretty fellow, and I don't wonder that my coufin's maid fhould tell you fo many women are fond of him. I am forry now I did not inform him where my coufin · was; and yet, if he be so terrible a rake as you tell me, it is a pity the should ever fee him any more; for what but her ruin can happen from marrying a rake and a beggar against her father's confent. I proteft, if he be fuch a man as the wench defcribed him to you, it is but an office of charity to keep her from him; and, I am fure, it would be unpardonable in

me

'me to do otherwife, who have tafted fo bitterly of the misfortunes attending fuch marriages.'

Here the was interrupted by the arrival of a vifitor, which was no other than his lordship; and as nothing paffed at this vifit either new or extraordinary, or any ways material to this hiftory, we fhall here put an end to this chapter.

CHAP. III.

A project of Mrs. Fitzpatrick, and her visit to lady:

W

Bellafton.

HEN Mrs. Fitzpatrick retired to reft, her thoughts were entirely taken up by her coufin Sophia and Mr. Jones. She was indeed a little offended with the former for the difingenuity, which fhe now discovered. In which meditation she had not long exercised her imagination, before the following: conceit fuggefted itfelf; that, could the poffibly become the means of preferving Sophia from this man, and of reftoring her to her father, fhe should, in all human probability, by so great a service to the family, reconcile to herself both her uncle and her aunt Western.

As this was one of her most favourite wifhes, fo the hope of fuccefs feemed fo reasonable, that nothing remained but to confider of proper methods to accomplish her scheme. To attempt to reason the cafe with Sophia, did not appear to her one of those methods; for as Betty had reported from Mrs. Honour, that Sophia had a violent inclination to Jones, fhe conceived, that to diffuade her from the match was an endeavour of the fame kind, as it would be very heartily and earnestly to entreat a moth not to fly into a candle.

If the reader will pleafe to remember, that the acquaintance which Sophia had with lady Bellafton, was contracted at the houfe of Mrs. Western, and must have grown at the very time when Mrs. Fitzpatrick lived with this latter lady, he will want no information, that Mrs. Fitzpatrick muft have been a c-. quainted with her likewife. They were, befides, both equally her diftant relations.

After much confideration, therefore, she resolved to go early in the morning to that lady, and endeavour to fee her unknown to Sophia, and to acquaint her with the whole affair: for fhe did not in the leaft doubt but that the prudent lady, who had often ridiculed romantic love and indifcreet marriages in her converfation, would very readily concur in her fentiments concerning this match, and would lend her utmost affiftance to prevent it.

This refolution fhe accordingly executed, and the next morning, before the fun, fhe huddled on her cloaths, and, at a very unfashionable, unfeasonable, unvifitable hour, went to lady Bellafton, to whom she got accefs, without the leaft knowledge or fufpicion of Sophia, who, though not asleep, lay at that time awake in her bed, with Honour fnoring by her fide. Mrs. Fitzpatrick made many apologies for an early abrupt vifit at an hour when, fhe faid, • fhe fhould not have thought of disturbing her ladyfhip, but upon business of the utmost consequence.' She then opened the whole affair, told all fhe had heard from Betty, and did not forget the vifit which Jones had paid to herself the preceding evening.

<

Lady Bellafton answered with a finile, Then you have feen this terrible man, Madam: pray is he fo very fine a figure as he is reprefented? for Etoff entertained me last night almoft two hours with him. The wench I believe is in love with him by reputation.' Here the reader will be apt to wonder; but the truth is that Mrs. Etoff, who had the honour to pin and unpin' the lady Bellafton, had received compleat information concerning the faid Mr. Jones, and had faithfully conveyed the fame to her lady last night, (or rather that morning), while fhe was undreffing; on which accounts fhe had been detained in her office above the space of an hour and an half.

The lady indeed, though generally well enough pleafed with the narratives of Mrs. Etoff at thofe feafons, gave an extraordinary attention to her account of Jones; for Honour had described him as a very handfome fellow, and Mrs. Etoff in her hurry added fo much to the beauty of his perfon to her report, that

lady