ceived the addition of above a pint of wine, or, indeed, rather of malt spirits; for the perry was by no means pure. Now that part of his head which Nature designed for the reservoir of drink, being very shallow, a small quantity of liquor overflowed it, and opened the sluices of his heart; so that all the secrets there deposited run out. These sluices were, indeed, naturally very ill-secured. To give the best-natured turn we can to his disposition, he was a very honest man; for as he was the most inquisitive of mortals, and eternally prying into the secrets of others; so he very faithfully paid them by communicating, in return, every thing within his knowledge.

While Sophia, tormented with anxiety, knew not what to believe, nor what resolution to take, Susan arrived with the sack-whey. Mrs. Honour immediately advised her mistress, in a whisper, to pump this wench, who, probably, could inform her of the truth. Sophia approved it, and began as follows: Come hither, child; now answer 'me truly what I am going to ask you, and I ' promise you I will very well reward you. Is there a yo ng gentleman in this house, a handsome young gentleman, that Here Sophia blushed, and was confounded. A young gentleman,' cries Honour, that came hither in company with that saucy rascal who is now in the kitchen?' Susan answered, There was.'

6

Do you know any thing of any lady?' continues Sophia; any lady? I don't ask you whether she is handsome or no; perhaps she is not, that's nothing to the purpose; but do you know of any lady - La! madam,' cries Honour, 'you will make a very bad examiner.' • Harkee, child,' says she, is not that very young gen. tleman now in bed with some nasty trull or

6

other?' Here Susan smiled, and was silent. 'Answer the question, child,' says Sophia,

6

and

here's a guinea for you.'- A guinea! madam,' cries Susan: La, what's a guinea? If my mis'tress should know it, I shall certainly lose my ( place that very instant.'—" - Here's another for 'you,' says Sophia, and I promise you faithfully your mistress shall never know it.' Susan, after a very short hesitation, took the money, and told the whole story, concluding with saying, 'If you have any great curiosity, madam, I can 'steal softly into his room, and see whether he be • in his own bed or no.' She accordingly did this by Sophia's desire, and returned with an answer in the negative.

Sophia now trembled and turned pale. Mrs. Honour begged her to be comforted, and not to think any more of so worthless a fellow. Why

there,' says Susan, 'I hope, madam, your lady. 6 ship won't be offended; but pray, madam, is not ، your ladyship's name Madam Sophia Western?' How is it possible you should know me?' an. swered Sophia. 6 Why, that man that the gen. 'tlewoman spoke of, who is in the kitchen, told ' about you last night. But I hope your ladyship 'is not angry with me.'- Indeed, child,' said she, I am not; pray tell me all, and I promise

6 you I'll reward you.''—'Why, madam,' con

tinued Susan, that man told us all in the kitchen,

that Madam Sophia Western-Indeed, I don't 'know how to bring it out.' Here she stopped, till having received encouragement from Sophia, and being vehemently pressed by Mrs. Honour, she proceeded thus :-'He told us, madam, though to be sure it is all a lie, that your ladyship was dying for love of the young squire, and that he was going to the wars, to get rid of уон. I

thought to myself then he was a false-hearted wretch; but now to see such a fine, rich, beau'tiful lady as you be, forsaken for such an ordi < nary woman; for to be sure so she is, and an'other man's wife into the bargain. It is such a 'strange, unnatural thing, in a manner.'

Sophia gave her a third guinea, and, telling her she would certainly be her friend, if she mentioned nothing of what had passed, nor informed any one who she was, dismissed the girl, with orders to the post-boy to get the horses ready im. mediately.

Being now left alone with her maid, she told her trusty waiting-woman, That she never was 6 more easy than at present. I am now convinced,' said she, he is not only a villain, " but a low despicable wretch. I can forgive all ' rather than his exposing my name in so barbarous a manner. That renders him the object of my contempt. Yes, flonour, I am now easy; I am indeed; I am very easy;' and then she burst into a violent flood of tears.

After a short interval spent by Sophia, chiefly in crying, and assuring her maid that she was perfectly easy, Susan arrived with an account that the horses were ready, when a very extraor➡ dinary thought suggested 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 some 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 history. This muff, ever since the departure of Mr. Jones, had been the constant companion of Sophia by

day, and her bed-fellow by night; and this muff she had at this very instant upon her arm; whence she took it off with great indignation, and, having writ her name with her pencil upon a piece of paper which she pinned to it, she bribed the maid to convey it into the empty bed of Mr. Jones, in which, if he did not find it, she charged her to take some 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 she herself might have caten, she mounted her horse, and, once more assuring 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.

Ir was now past five in the morning, and other

company began to rise and come to the kitchen, among whom were the serjeant and the coachman, who, being thoroughly reconciled, made a libation, or, in the English phrase, drank a hearty cup together.

In this drinking, nothing more remarkable happened than the behaviour of Partridge, who, when the serjeant 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 cause, 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 must beg to be excused from relating), summoned 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 saying, and a true one, that a wise man may sometimes learn counsel from a " fool; I wish therefore I might be so bold as to 'offer you my advice, which is to return home

again, and leave these horrida bella, these 'bloody wars, to fellows who are contented to 'swallow gunpowder, because they have nothing else to eat. Now every body knows your ho6 nour wants for nothing at home; when that's 'the case, why should any man travel abroad?'

6 Partridge,' cries Jones, thou art certainly a 'coward: I wish therefore thou would'st return 'home thyself, and trouble me no more.'

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I ask your honour's pardon,' cries Partridge, I spoke on your account more than my own; 'for as to me, Heaven knows my circumstances are bad enough, and I am so far from being afraid, that I value a pistol, or a blunderbuss, or any such thing, no more than a pop-gun. Every 6 man must die once, and what signifies the man< ner how; besides, perhaps, I may come off ' with the loss only of an arm or a leg. I assure 6 you, sir, I was never less afraid in my life; 6 and so if your honour is resolved to go on, I am ' resolved to follow you. But, in that case, I 'wish I might give my opinion. To be sure, it is 6 a scandalous way of travelling, for a great gen. 'tleman like you to walk afoot. Now here are two or three good horses in the stable, which the ' landlord will certainly make no scruple of trust. 'ing you with; but if he should, I can easily