เ เ เ you have either discharged my whole debt, or your equipage. Let me beg you seriously to consider your เ circumstances and condition in life, and to remember 'that your situation will not justify any the least unnecessary expense. Simply to be poor, says my favourite Greek historian, was not held scandalous by the wise 'Athenians, but highly so, to owe that poverty to our own 'indiscretion. Present my affections to Mrs. Booth, and be assured, that I shall not, without great reason, and great pain too, ever cease to be, เ เ เ 'Your most faithful friend, 'R. HARRISON.' Had this letter come at any other time, it would have given Booth the most sensible affliction; but so totally had the affair of Miss Matthews possessed his mind, that, like a man in the most raging fit of the gout, he was scarce capable of any additional torture; nay, he even made an use of this latter epistle, as it served to account to Amelia for that concern which he really felt on another account. The poor deceived lady, therefore, applied herself to give him comfort where he least wanted it. She said, he might easily perceive that the matter had been misrepresented to the doctor, who would not, she was sure, retain the least anger against him when he knew the real truth. After a short conversation on this subject, in which Booth appeared to be greatly consoled by the arguments of his wife, they parted. He went to take a walk in the Park, and she remained at home, to prepare him his dinner. He was no sooner departed than his little boy, not quite six years old, said to Amelia, La! mamma, what is the matter with poor papa, what makes him look เ เ เ so as if he was going to cry? he is not half so merry 6 as he used to be in the country.' Amelia answered, 'Oh! my dear, your papa is only a little thoughtful, 'he will be merry again soon.'-Then looking fondly on her children, she burst into an agony of tears, and cried, Oh Heavens! what have these poor little infants 'done? why will the barbarous world endeavour to starve them, by depriving us of our only friend?-Oh! my dear, your father is ruined, and we are undone!' -The children presently accompanied their mother's tears, and the daughter cried-' Why, will any body 'hurt poor papa? hath he done any harm to any body?' -No, my dear child,' said the mother, he is the best 'man in the world, and therefore they hate him.' Upon which the boy, who was extremely sensible at his years, answered, Nay, mamma, how can that be? have not you often told me, that if I was good, every body would 'love me?' 'All good people will,' answered she. 'Why don't they love papa, then?' replied the child, 'for I am sure he is very good.' So they do, my dear,' said the mother, but there are more bad people in the world, and they will hate you for your goodness.' 'Why then bad people,' cries the child, are loved by more than the good.'-' No matter for that, my dear,' said she, the love of one good person is more worth having, than that of a thousand wicked ones; nay, if 'there was no such person in the world, still you must 'be a good boy; for there is one in Heaven who will 'love you, and his love is better for you than that of 'all mankind.' 6 เ เ เ เ This little dialogue, we are apprehensive, will be read with contempt by many; indeed, we should not have thought it worth while recording, was it not for the excellent example which Amelia here gives to all mothers. This admirable woman never let a day pass without instructing her children in some lesson of religion and morality. By which means she had, in their tender minds, so strongly annexed the ideas of fear and shame to every idea of evil of which they were susceptible, that it must require great pains and length of habit to separate them. Though she was the tenderest of mothers, she never suffered any symptom of malevolence to shew itself in their most trifling actions without discouragement, without rebuke; and, if it broke forth with any rancour, without punishment. In which she had such success, that not the least marks of pride, envy, malice, or spite discovered itself in any of their little words or deeds. CHAPTER IV. In which Amelia appears in no unamiable light. AMELIA, with the assistance of a little girl, who was their only servant, had drest her dinner, and she had likewise drest herself as neat as any lady, who had a regular set of servants, could have done; when Booth returned, and brought with him his friend James, whom he had met with in the Park; and who, as Booth absolutely refused to dine away from his wife, to whom he had promised to return, had invited himself to dine with him. Amelia had none of that paltry pride which possesses so many of her sex, and which disconcerts their tempers, and gives them the air and look of furies, if their husbands bring in an unexpected guest, without giving them timely warning to provide a sacrifice to their own vanity. Amelia received her husband's friend with the utmost complaisance and good humour; she made indeed some apology for the homeliness of her dinner; but it was politely turned as a compliment to Mr. James's friendship, which could carry him where he was sure of being so ill entertained; and gave not the least hint how magnificently she would have provided, had she expected the favour of so much good company. A phrase which is generally meant to contain not only an apology for the lady of the house, but a tacit satire on her guests for their intrusion, and is at least a strong insinuation that they are not welcome. Amelia failed not to inquire very earnestly after her old friend Mrs. James, formerly Miss Bath, and was very sorry to find that she was not in town. The truth was, as James had married out of a violent liking of, or appetite to, her person, possession had surfeited him, and he was now grown so heartily tired of his wife, that she had very little of his company; she was forced therefore to content herself with being the mistress of a large house and equipage in the country, ten months in the year by herself. The other two he indulged her with the diversions of the town, but then, though they lodged under the same roof, she had little more of her husband's society than if they had been one hundred miles apart. With all this, as she was a woman of calm passions, she made herself contented; for she had never had any violent affection for James; the match was of the prudent kind, and to her advantage; for his fortune, by the death of an uncle, was become very considerable; and she had gained every thing by the bargain but a husband, which her constitution suffered her to be very well satisfied without. When Amelia, after dinner, retired to her children, James began to talk to his friend concerning his affairs. He advised Booth very earnestly to think of getting again into the army, in which he himself had met with such success, that he had obtained the command of a regiment, to which his brother-in-law was lieutenantcolonel. These preferments they both owed to the favour of fortune only; for though there was no objection to either of their military characters, yet neither of them had any extraordinary desert; and, if merit in the service was a sufficient recommendation, Booth, who had been twice wounded in the siege, seemed to have the fairest pretensions; but he remained a poor half-pay lieutenant, and the others were, as we have said, one of them a lieutenant-colonel, and the other had a regiment. Such rises we often see in life, without being able to give any satisfactory account of the means, and therefore ascribe them to the good fortune of the person. Both colonel James and his brother-in-law were members of parliament; for, as the uncle of the former had left him, together with his estate, an almost certain interest in a borough, so he chose to confer this favour on colonel Bath; a circumstance which would have been highly immaterial to mention here, but as it serves to set forth the goodness of James, who endeavoured to make up in kindness to the family, what he wanted in fondness for his wife. Colonel James then endeavoured all in his power to persuade Booth to think again of a military life, and very kindly offered him his interest towards obtaining him a company in the regiment under his command. Booth must have been a madman, in his present circumstances,. to have hesitated one moment at accepting such an offer, and he well knew Amelia, notwithstanding her aversion to the army, was much too wise to make the least scruple of giving her consent. Nor was he, as it appeared afterwards, mistaken in his opinion of his wife's understanding for she made not the least objection when it was communicated to her, but contented herself with an express stipulation, that wherever he was commanded to go |