related, and inftantly burst out of the houfe. Nor did her brother or her niece think proper either to ftop or to follow her: for the one was so much poffeffed by concern, and the other by anger, that they were rendered almoft motionless.

The Squire, however, fent after his fifter the fame holla which attends the departure of a hare, when she is first started before the hounds. He was indeed a great master of this kind of vociferation, and had a holla proper for most occafions in life.

Women who, like Mrs. Western, know the world, and have applied themselves to philofophy and politics, would have immediately availed themfelves of the prefent difpofition of Mr. Western's mind; by throwing in a few artful compliments to his understanding at the expense of his abfent adverfary; but poor Sophia was all fimplicity. By which word we do not intend to infinuate to the Reader, that he was filly, which is generally understood as a synonymous term with fimple: for fhe was indeed a moft fenfible girl, and her understanding was of the firft rate; but she wanted all that useful art which females convert to fo many good purposes in life, and which, as it rather arifes from the heart, than from the head, is often the property of the fillieft of women.

A Picture of a Country-Gentlewoman taken from the Life.

MR. Western having finished his holla, and

taken a little breath, began to lament, in very pathetic terms, the unfortunate condition of men, who are, fays he, always whipt in by the humors of fome d-n'd b- or other. I think I was hard run enough by your mother for one man; but after giving her a dodge, here's another b- follows me upon the foil; but curfe my jacket if I will be run down in this manner by any o’um.

Sophia never had a fingle difpute with her father, till this unlucky affair of Blifil, on any account, except in defence of her mother, whom he had loved most tenderly, though she lost her in the eleventh year of her age. The Squire, to whom that poor woman had been a faithful upper fervant all the time of their marriage, had returned that behaviour, by making what the world calls a good husband. He very seldom swore at her, (perhaps not above once a week) and never beat her: fhe had not the leaft occafion for jealoufy, and was perfect mistress of her time; for fhe was never interrupted by her husband, who was engaged all the morning in his field-exercises, and all the evening with bottle companions. She scarce indeed ever faw

him but at meals; where fhe had the pleasure of carving those dishes which fhe had before attended at the dreffing. From these meals fhe retired about five minutes after the other fervants, having only staid to drink the King over the water. Such were, it feems, Mr. Western's orders: for it was a maxim with him, that women fhould come in with the first dish, and go out after the firft glass. Obedience to these orders was perhaps no difficult task: for the conversation (if it may be called fo) was feldom fuch as could entertain a Lady. It confifted chiefly of hallooing, finging, relations of fporting adventures, b-d-y, and abufe of women and of the government.

Thefe, however, were the only feafons when Mr. Western saw his wife: for when he repaired to her bed, he was generally fo drunk that he could not fee; and in the fporting season he always rofe from her before it was light. Thus was she perfect mistress of her time; and had befides a coach and four ufually at her command; tho' unhappily indeed the badness of the neighbourhood, and of the roads, made this of little ufe: for none who had fet fo much value on their necks, would have paffed through the one; or who had fet any value on their hours, would have visited the other. Now to deal honestly with the Reader, she did not make all the return expected to fo much indulgence: for fhe had been married against her will, by a fond father, the match having been rather advantageous on her fide: for the Squire's eftate was

upwards of 3000 1. a year, and her fortune no more than a bare 8000 1. Hence perhaps fhe had contracted a little gloominefs of temper: for fhe was rather a good fervant than a good wife; nor had fhe always the gratitude to return the extraordinary degree of roaring mirth, with which the Squire received her, even with a good humored fmile. She would, moreover, fometimes interfere with matters which did not concern her, as the violent drinking of her husband, which in the gentlest terms fhe would take fome of the few opportunities he gave her, of remonstrating againft. And once in her life fhe very earnestly entreated him to carry her for two months to London, which he peremptorily denied; nay, was angry with his wife for the request ever after, being well affured, that all the husbands in London are cuckolds.

For this laft, and many other good reasons, Weftern at length heartily hated his wife; and as he never concealed this hatred before her death, so he never forgot it afterwards: but when any thing in the leaft foured him, as a bad fcenting day, or a diftemper among his hounds, or any other fuch misfortune, he conftantly vented his fpleen by invectives against the deceased; faying "If my

wife was alive now, fhe would be glad of this."

These invectives he was especially defirous of throwing forth before Sophia: for as he loved her more than he did any other, fo he was really

jealous that she had loved her mother better than him. And this jealoufy Sophia feldom failed of heightening on thefe occafions: for he was not contented with violating her ears with the abuse of her mother; but endeavoured to force an explicit approbation of all this abuse, with which defire he never could prevail upon her by any promife or threats to comply.

Hence fome of my Readers will, perhaps, wonder that the Squire had not hated Sophia as much as he had hated her mother; but I must inform them, that hatred is not the effect of love, even through the medium of jealoufy. It is, indeed, very poffible for jealous perfons to kill the objects of their jealousy, but not to hate them. Which fentiment being a pretty hard morfel, and bearing fomething of the air of a paradox, we fhall leave the Reader to chew the cud upon it to the end of the Chapter.

CHAP. V.

The generous Behaviour of Sophia towards her

Aunt.

SOPHIA kept filence during the foregoing

fpeech of her father, nor did fhe once answer otherwise than with a figh; but as he understood none of the language, or, as he called it, lingo, of the eyes, fo he was not fatisfied without fome further approbation of his fentiments; which he