pable of delighting the ear, or a violin of gratifying the smell.

Notwithstanding, therefore, all the delicacies which love had set before him, namely, the hopes of feeing Sophia at the mafquerade; on which, however illfounded his imagination might be, he had voluptuously feasted during the whole day, the evening no fooner came, than Mr. Jones began to languish for some food of a groffer kind. Partridge difcovered this by intuition, and took the occafion to give fome oblique hints concerning the bank-bill, and when these were rejected with difdain, he collected courage enough once more to mention a return to Mr. Allworthy.

Partridge,' cries Jones, you cannot fee my for • tune in a more desperate light than I fee it myself; and I begin heartily to repent, that I fuffered youto leave a place, where you was fettled, and to follow 'me. However, I infift now on your returning home; and for the expence and trouble which you have fo • kindly put yourself to on my account, all the clothes • I left behind in your care, I defire you would take as your own. I am forry I can make you no other acknowledgment.

He spoke these words with fo pathetic an accent, that Partridge, among whofe vices ill nature or hard-nefs of heart were not numbered, burst into tears; and after fwearing he would not quit him in his diftrefs, he began with the most earnest intreaties to urge his return home. For heaven's fake, Sir,' fays he, ⚫ do but confider: what can your honour do? How is it poffible you can live in this town without mo ney? Do what you will, Sir, or go wherever you please, I am refolved not to defert you. But pray, Sir, confider,-do pray, Sir, for your own fake, ⚫ take it into your confideration; and I'm fure,' fays he, that your own good sense will bid you return. home.'

How often fhall I tell thee,' anfwered Jones, that I have no home to return to? Had I any hopes that Mr. Allworthy's doors would be open to receive me, I want no diftrefs to urge me :-nay, there is no other cause upon earth, which could detain me • a moment

a moment from flying to his prefence; but, alas! 'that I am for ever banished from. His last words 'were, O Partridge, they ftill ring in my ears.His last words were, when he gave me a fum of 6 money; what it was I know not, but confiderable I'm fure it was. -His laft words were- I am "refolved from this day forward, on no account, to "converfe with you any more."

Here paffion ftopt the mouth of Jones, as furprize, for a moment, did that of Partridge: but he foon recovered the ufe of fpeech, and after a fhort preface, in which he declared he had no inquifitivenefs in his temper, enquired, what Jones meant by a confiderable fum; he knew not how much, and what was be come of the money.

In both these points he now received full fatisfaction; on which he was proceeding to comment, when he was interrupted by a meffage from Mr. Nightin gale, who defired his master's company in his apart

ment.

When the two gentlemen were both attired for the masquerade, and Mr. Nightingale had given orders for chairs to be fent for, a circumftance of diftrefs occurred to Jones, which will appear very ridiculous to many of my readers. This was how to procure a hilling; but, if such readers will reflect a little on what they have themselves felt from the want of a thousand pound, or perhaps of ten or twenty to execute a favourite fcheme, they will have a perfect idea of what Mr. Jones felt on this occafion For this fum, therefore, he applied to Partridge, which was the first he had permitted him to advance, and was the last he intended that poor fellow should advance in his fervice. To fay the truth, Partridge had lately made no offer of this kind; whether it was that he defired to fee the bank-bill broke in upon, or that diftrefs fhould prevail on Jones to return home, or from what other motive it proceeded, I will not determine.

CHAP.

CHAP.

VII.

Containing the whole humours of a masquerade.

OUR

UR cavaliers now arrived at that temple, where Heydegger, the great arbiter deliciarum, the great high-prieft of pleasure prefides; and, like other heathen priests, impofes on his votaries by the pretended prefence of the deity, when in reality no fuch deity is there.

Mr. Nightingale, having taken a turn or two with his companion, foon left him, and walked off with a female, faying, Now you are here, Sir, you must beat about for your own game.'

Jones began to entertain ftrong hopes that his Sophia was prefent; and thefe hopes gave him more fpirits than the lights, the mufic, and the company; though these are pretty strong antidotes against the fpleen. He now accofted every woman he faw, whose ftature, fhape, or air, bore any refemblance to his angel: To all of whom he endeavoured to fay fomething fmart, in order to engage an answer, by which he might difcover that voice which he thought it im poffible he should mistake. Some of these answered, by a question, in a squeaking voice, Do you know me? Much the greater numbers faid, I don't know you, Sir; and nothing more. Some called him an impertinent fellow; fome made him no answer at all; fome faid, Indeed I don't know your voice, and I fhall have nothing to fay to you; and many gave him as kind anfwers as he could wish, but not in the voice he defired to hear.

Whilft he was talking with one of these last, (who was in the habit of a fhepherdefs), a lady in a domino came up to him, and, flapping him on the fhoulder, whispered him at the fame time in the ear,' If you talk any longer with that trollop, I will ac quaint Miss Western.'

Jones no fooner heard that name, than, immediately quitting his former companion, he applied to the domino, begging and entreating her to thew him

the

the lady fhe had mentioned, if fhe was then in the

room.

་

The mafk walked haftily to the upper end of the innermoft apartment before the spoke; and then, inftead of anfwering him, fat down, and declared fhe was tired. Jones fat down by her, and still persisted in his entreaties; at laft the lady coldly anfwered, I imagined Mr. Jones had been a more difcerning lover, than to fuffer any disguise to conceal his mif'trefs from him.' Is the here then, Madam?' replied Jones, with fome vehemence: Upon which the lady cried, Hufh, Sir, you will be obferved.-I ' promise you upon my honour, Mifs Western is not ' here.'

་

Jones, now taking the mafk by the hand, fell to entreating her, in the moft earnest manner, to acquaint him where he might find Sophia; and, when he could obtain no direct anfwer, he began to upbraid her gently for having difappointed him the day before; and concluded, faying, Indeed, my good fairy queen, I know your Majefty very well, notwithftanding the affected difguife of your voice. Indeed, Mrs. Fitzpatrick, it is a little cruel to divert yourself at the expence of my torments.'

་

The mask answered, Though you have fo inge'nioufly discovered me, I must still speak in the fame ' voice, left I fhould be known by others. And do 'you think, good Sir, that I have no greater regard for my coufin, than to affift in carrying on an affair 'between you two, which muft end in her ruin, as well as your own? Befides, I promise you, my coufin is not mad enough to confent to her own deftruction, if you are fo much her enemy as to tempt. her to it.

Alas, Madam,' faid Jones, 'you little know my heart, when you call me an enemy of Sophia.'

And yet to ruin any one,' cries the other, you will allow, is the act of an enemy; and, when by 'the fame act you must knowingly and certainly bring ' ruin on yourself, is it not folly or madness, as well as guilt? Now, Sir, my coufin hath very little more than her father will please to give her; very little for

• one

one of her fashion;-you know him, *and you know your own fituation.'

Jones vowed he had no fuch defign on Sophia; That he would rather fuffer the most violent of deaths, than facrifice her intereft to his defires. He faid, he knew how unworthy he was of her every way; that he had long ago refolved to quit all fuch afpiring thoughts, but that fome ftrange accidents had made him defirous to fee her once more, when he promifed he would take leave, of her for ever. No, Madam,' concluded he, my love is not of that bafe kind, which feeks its own fatisfaction, at ⚫ the expence of what is most dear to its object.

I

would facrifice every thing to the poffeffion of my Sophia, but Sophia herself.'

Though the reader may have already conceived no very fublime idea of the virtue of the lady in the mafk; and though poffibly fhe may hereafter appear not to deferve one of the first characters of her fex; yet, it is certain, thefe generous fentiments made a ftrong impreffion upon her, and greatly added to the affection the had before conceived for our young hero.

The lady now, after filence of a few moments, faid, She did not fee his pretenfions to Sophia fo much in the light of prefumption, as of imprudence. Young fellows,' fays fhe, can never have too afpiring thoughts. I love ambition in a young man, and I would have you cultivate it as much as poffible. Perhaps you may fucceed with thofe who are infinitely fuperior in fortune; nay, I am convinced • there are women-- But don't you think me a ftrange creature, Mr. Jones, to be thus giving advice to a man, with whom I am fo little acquainted, and one with whofe behaviour to me I have fo little • reason to be pleafed ?"

Here Jones began to apologize, and to hope he had not offended in any thing he had faid of her cousin.

To which the mafk anfwered, And are you fo little versed in the fex, to imagine you can well affront a lady more, than by entertaining her with your paffion for another woman? If the fairy queen ⚫ had conceived no better opinion of your gallantry,

1

• fhe