เ

of his passion; and in the foolish, thoughtless turn of 'mind in which I then was, I fancied I might give some very distant encouragement to such a passion in such a man, with the utmost safety; that I might indulge my vanity and interest at once, without being guilty of the 'least injury.

I know Mrs. Booth will condemn all these thoughts, ' and I condemn them no less myself; for it is now my 'stedfast opinion, that the woman who gives up the least outwork of her virtue, doth, in that very moment, betray 'the citadel.

เ

'About two o'clock we returned home, and found a เ very handsome collation provided for us. I was asked 'to partake of it; and I did not, I could not refuse. I was not, however, entirely void of all suspicion, and I 'made many resolutions; one of which was, not to drink a drop more than my usual stint. This was, at the ' utmost, little more than half a pint of small punch.

'I adhered strictly to my quantity; but in the quality, 'I am convinced, I was deceived; for, before I left the เ room, I found my head giddy. What the villain gave me, I know not; but, besides being intoxicated, I perเ ceived effects from it which are not to be described.

เ

'Here, Madam, I must draw a curtain over the residue of that fatal night. Let it suffice, that it involved me in the most dreadful ruin; a ruin, to which, I can truly say, I never consented; and of which I was เ scarce conscious, when the villainous man avowed it 'to my face in the morning.

เ

'Thus I have deduced my story to the most horrid period; happy had I been, had this been the period 'of my life; but I was reserved for greater miseries; 'but before I enter on them, I will mention something very remarkable, with which I was now acquainted, ' and that will shew there was nothing of accident which

เ

เ

' had befallen me; but that all was the effect of a long, เ regular, premeditated design.

'You may remember, Madam, I told you that we were recommended to Mrs. Ellison by the woman at whose house we had before lodged. This woman, it seems, was one of my lord's pimps, and had before ' introduced me to his lordship's notice.

เ

You are to know then, Madam, that this villain, this lord, now confessed to me, that he had first seen me in the gallery at the oratorio; whither I had gone with tickets, with which the woman where I first lodged, 'had presented me, and which were, it seems, purchased by my lord. Here I first met the vile betrayer, who 'was disguised in a rug coat, and a patch upon his face.' At these words, Amelia cried, ' O, gracious Heavens!' and fell back in her chair. Mrs. Bennet, with proper applications, brought her back to life; and then Amelia acquainted her, that she herself had first seen the same person in the same place, and in the same disguise. 'O 'Mrs. Bennet!' cried she, how am I indebted to you! 'what words, what thanks, what actions can demonstrate 'the gratitude of my sentiments! I look upon you, and 'always shall look upon you, as my preserver from the brink of a precipice, from which I was falling into the เ same ruin which you have so generously, so kindly, ' and so nobly disclosed for my sake.'

Here the two ladies compared notes; and it appeared, that his lordship's behaviour at the oratorio had been alike to both; that he had made use of the very same words, the very same actions to Amelia, which he had practised over before on poor unfortunate Mrs. Bennet. It may, perhaps, be thought strange, that neither of them could afterwards recollect him; but so it was. And, indeed, if we consider the force of disguise, the very short time that either of them was with him at this first

interview, and the very little curiosity that must have been supposed in the minds of the ladies, together with the amusement in which they were then engaged, all wonder will, I apprehend, cease. Amelia, however, now declared, she remembered his voice and features perfectly well; and was thoroughly satisfied he was the same perShe then accounted for his not having visited in the afternoon, according to his promise, from her declared resolutions to Mrs. Ellison not to see him. She now burst forth into some very satirical invectives against that lady, and declared she had the art, as well as the wickedness, of the devil himself.

son.

Many congratulations now passed from Mrs. Bennet to Amelia, which were returned with the most hearty acknowledgments from that lady. But, instead of filling our paper with these, we shall pursue Mrs. Bennet's story; which she resumed, as we shall find in the next chapter.

CHAPTER VIII.

Farther continuation.

No sooner,' said Mrs. Bennet, continuing her story, was my lord departed, than Mrs. Ellison came to me. 'She behaved in such a manner, when she became 'acquainted with what had passed, that, though I was 'at first satisfied of her guilt, she began to stagger my opinion and, at length, prevailed upon me entirely to acquit her. She raved like a mad woman against my lord, swore he should not stay a moment in her 'house, and that she would never speak to him more. In short, had she been the most innocent woman in the world, she could not have spoke, nor acted any

เ

เ

เ

เ

' otherwise: nor could she have vented more wrath and indignation against the betrayer.

"That part of her denunciation of vengeance which concerned my lord's leaving the house, she vowed 'should be executed immediately; but then, seeming to recollect herself, she said, "Consider, my dear child, "it is for your sake alone I speak; will not such a ""proceeding give some suspicion to your husband?" I answered, That I valued not that; that I was re'solved to inform my husband of all, the moment I saw him; with many expressions of detestations of myself, and an indifference for life, and for every เ thing else.

'Mrs. Ellison, however, found means to soothe me, and to satisfy me with my own innocence; a point, ' in which, I believe, we are all easily convinced. In 'short, I was persuaded to acquit both myself and her, 'to lay the whole guilt upon my lord, and to resolve to 'conceal it from my husband.

'The whole day I confined myself to my chamber, เ and saw no person but Mrs. Ellison. I was, indeed, ' ashamed to look any one in the face. Happily for me, my lord went into the country without attempting to come near me; for I believe his sight would have 'driven me to madness.

'The next day, I told Mrs. Ellison, that I was resolved to leave her lodgings the moment my lord came to town; not on her account (for I really inclined to 'think her innocent), but on my lord's, whose face I was resolved, if possible, never more to behold. She told me, I had no reason to quit her house on that score; for that for that my lord himself had left her lodgings ' that morning, in resentment, she believed, of the abuses ' which she had cast on him the day before.

'This confirmed me in the opinion of her innocence:

nor hath she from that day to this, till my acquaintance ' with you, Madam, done any thing to forfeit my opinion. 'On the contrary, I owe her many good offices; amongst 'the rest, I have an annuity of one hundred and fifty pounds a year from my lord, which I know was owing to her solicitations; for she is not void of generosity or good-nature; though, by what I have lately seen, 'I am convinced she was the cause of my ruin, and hath • endeavoured to lay the same snares for you.

'But to return to my melancholy story. My husband ' returned at the appointed time; and I met him with 'an agitation of mind not to be described. Perhaps the fatigue which he had undergone in his journey, and ⚫ his dissatisfaction at his ill success, prevented his taking ' notice of what I feared was too visible. All his hopes 'were entirely frustrated; the clergyman had not re'ceived the bishop's letter; and as to my lord's, he 'treated it with derision and contempt. Tired as he 6 was, Mr. Bennet would not sit down till he had enquired for my lord, intending to go and pay his compliments. Poor man! he little suspected that he had 'deceived him, as I have since known concerning the bishop; much less did he suspect any other injury. But the lord-the villain was gone out of town, so that 'he was forced to postpone all his gratitude.

Mr. Bennet returned to town late on the Saturday 'night, nevertheless he performed his duty at church the 'next day; but I refused to go with him. This, I think, was the first refusal I was guilty of since our marriage; 'but I was become so miserable, that his presence, which had been the source of all my happiness, was become my bane. I will not say I hated to see him; but I can say I was ashamed, indeed afraid to look him in the 'face. I was conscious of I knew not what- -Guilt, I hope, it cannot be called.'