there may be such antipathies in nature, and one had lieverer touch a toad than the flesh of some people.'-

Sophia had been too much wrapt in contemplation to pay any great attention to the foregoing excellent' discourse of her maid; interrupting her therefore, without making any answer to it, she said, Honour, 'I am come to a resolution. I am determined to 'leave my father's house this very night; and if you have the friendship for me which you have often 'professed, you will keep me company.' That I will, ma'am, to the world's end,' answered Honour; but I beg your la'ship to consider the consequence, before you undertake any rash action. Where can your la'ship possibly go?—There is,' replied Sophia, a lady of quality in London, a relation of mine, who spent several months with my 'aunt in the country; during all which time she treated me with great kindness, and expressed so 'much pleasure in my company, that she earnestly desired my aunt to suffer me to go with her to Lon'don. As she is a woman of very great note, I shall easily find her out, and I make no doubt of being very well and kindly received by her.'' I would not have your la'ship too confident of that,' eries Honour; for the first lady I lived with used "to invite people very earnestly to her house; but if she heard afterwards they were coming, she used to get out of the way. Besides, though this lady would be very glad to see your la'ship, as to be sure any body would be glad to see your la'ship; yet when she hears your la'ship is run away from iny master-.' 'You are mistaken, Honour,' says Sophia: she looks upon the authority of a father in a much lower light than I do; for she pressed 'me violently to go to London with her, and when I refused to go without my father's consent she laughed me to scorn, called me silly country girl, and said, I should make a pure loving wife, since

I could be so dutiful a daughter. So I have no 'doubt but she will both receive me, and protect me too, till my father, finding me out of his power, 'can be brought to some reason.'

Well but, ma'am,' answered Honour, how doth your la'ship think of making your escape! Where will you get any horses or conveyance? For as for your own horse, as all the servants 'know a little how matters stand between my master and your la'ship, Robin will be hanged before he will suffer it to go out of the stable without my 'master's express orders.' I intend to escape,' said Sophia, by walking out of the doors when they 6 are open. I thank heaven my legs are very able to carry me. They have supported me many a long ⚫ evening after a fiddle, with no very agreeable partner; and surely they will assist me in running from 'so detestable a partner for life.'-O heaven, ma'am' doth your la'ship know what you are saying?' cries Honour: would you think of walking about the country by night and alone?' 'Not ' alone,' answered the lady: you have promised to bear me company.' Yes, to be sure,' cries Honour, I will follow your la'ship through the world; but your la'ship had almost as good be alone; for I shall not be able to defend you, if any robbers, or other villains, should meet with you. Nay, I should be in as horrible a fright as your la'ship; for to be certain, they would ravish us both. Besides, ma'am, consider how cold the nights are now; we shall be frozen to death.'—' A good brisk pace,' answered Sophia, will preserve us from the cold; and if you cannot defend me 'from a villain, Honour, I will defend you; for I will take a pistol with me. There are two always charged in the hall.'- Dear ma'am, you frighten me more and more,' cries Honour: sure your 'la'ship would not venture to fire it off! I had ra❝ther run any chance, than your la'ship should do

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'that.'Why so?' says Sophia, smiling: would "not you, Honour, fire a pistol at any one who should ' attack your virtue?'-To be sure, ma'am,' cries Honour, one's virtue is a dear thing, especially to us poor servants; for it is our livelihood, as a body may say: yet I mortally hate fire-arms; for so many accidents happen by them.'- Well, well,' says Sophia, I believe I may ensure your virtue ' at a very cheap rate, without carrying any arms ' with us; for I intend to take horses at the very first 'town we come to, and we shall hardly be attacked in our way thither. Look'ee, Honour, I am re'solved to go; and if you will attend me, I promise you I will reward you to the very utmost of my 'power.'

This last argument had a stronger effect on Honour than all the preceding. And since she saw her mistress so determined, she desisted from any further dissuasions. They then entered into a debate on ways and means of executing their project. Here a very stubborn difficulty occurred, and this was the removal of their effects, which was much more easily got over by the mistress than by the maid; for when a lady hath once taken a resolution to run to a lover, or to run from him, all obstacles are considered as trifles. But Honour was inspired by no such motive; she had no raptures to expect, nor any terrors to shun; and besides the real value of her clothes, in which consisted a great part of her fortune, she had a capricious fondness for several gowns, and other things; either because they became her, or because they were given her by such a particular person; because she had bought them lately, or because she had had them long; or for some other reason equally good; so that she could not endure the thoughts of leaving the poor things behind her exposed to the mercy of Western, who, she doubted not, would in his rage make them suffer martyrdom.

The ingenious Mrs. Honour having applied all her oratory to dissuade her mistress from her purpose, when she found her positively determined, at last started the following expedient to remove her clothes, viz. to get herself turned out of doors that very evening. Sophia highly approved this method, but doubted how it might be brought about. ‘0, 'ma'am,' cries Honour, your la'ship may trust 'that to me; we servants very well know how to 'obtain this favour of our masters and mistresses; though sometimes, indeed, where they owe us more wages than they can readily pay, they will put up with all our affronts, and will hardly take any warning we can give them; but the squire is none of those; and since your la'ship is resolved upon setting out to-night, I warrant I get discharged this afternoon.' It was then resolved that she should pack up some linen and a night-gown for Sophia, with her own things; and as for all her other clothes, the young lady abandoned them with no more remorse than the sailor feels when he throws over the goods of others, in order to save his own life.

CHAP. VIII.

Containing scenes of altercation, of no very uncommon kind.

MRS. Honour had scarce sooner parted from her young lady, than something (for I would not, like the old woman in Quivedo, injure the devil by any false accusation, and possibly he might have no hand in it), but something, I say, suggested itself to her, that by sacrificing Sophia and all her secrets to Mr. Western, she might probably make her fortune. Many considerations urged this discovery. The fair prospect of a handsome reward for so great and acceptable a service to the squire, tempted her

avarice; and again, the danger of the enterprise she had undertaken; the uncertainty of its success; night, cold, robbers, ravishers, all alarmed her fears. So forcibly did all these operate upon her, that she was almost determined to go directly to the squire, and to lay open the whole affair. She was, however, too upright a judge to decree on one side, before she had heard the other. And here, first, a journey to London appeared very strongly in support of Sophia. She eagerly longed to see a place in which she fancied charms short only of those which a raptured saint imagines in heaven. In the next place, as she knew Sophia to have much more generosity than her master, so her fidelity promised her a greater reward than she could gain by treachery. She then cross-examined all the articles which had raised her fears, on the other side, and found, on fairly sifting the matter, that there was very little in them. And now both scales being reduced to a pretty even balance, her love to her mistress being thrown into the scale of her integrity, made that rather preponderate, when a circumstance struck upon her imagination which might have had a dangerous effect, had its whole weight been fairly put into the other scale. This was the length of time which must intervene before Sophia would be able to fulfil her promises; for though she was entitled to her mother's fortune at the death of her father, and to the sum of 3000l. left her by an uncle when she came of age; yet these were distant days, and many accidents might prevent the intended generosity of the young lady; whereas the rewards she might expect from Mr. Western were immediate. But while she was pursuing this thought, the good genius of Sophia, or that which presided over the integrity of Mrs. Honour, or perhaps mere chance, sent an accident in her way, which at once preserved her fidelity, and even facilitated the intended business.