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'When you reflect on the situation in which I write, 'I am sure your good-nature will pardon any incon'sistency or absurdity which my letter contains; for every thing here flows from a heart so full, that no 'language can express its dictates.

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'I have resolved, Madam, to obey your commands, in flying for ever from your dear, your lovely sight. 'Cruel indeed those commands are; but it is a cruelty 'which proceeds from fortune, not from my Sophia. 'Fortune hath made it necessary, necessary to your preservation, to forget there ever was such a wretch as I am.

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Believe me, I would not hint all my sufferings to you, if I imagined they could possibly escape your ears. 'I know the goodness and tenderness of your heart, and 'would avoid giving you any of those pains which you 'always feel for the miserable. O let nothing, which 'you shall hear of my hard fortune, cause a moment's concern! for, after the loss of you, every thing is to me a trifle.

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'O Sophia! it is hard to leave you; it is harder still to desire you to forget me; yet the sincerest love 'obliges me to both. Pardon my conceiving that any ' remembrance of me can give you disquiet; but if I 'am so gloriously wretched, sacrifice me every way to your relief. Think I never loved you; or think truly เ how little I deserve you; and learn to scorn me for ' a presumption which can never be too severely punished. I am unable to say more.-May guardian angels เ protect you for ever.'

He was now searching his pockets for his wax, but found none, nor indeed any thing else therein: for in truth, he had, in his frantic disposition, tossed every

thing from him, and, amongst the rest, his pocket-book, which he had received from Mr. Allworthy, which he had never opened, and which now first occurred to his memory.

The house supplied him with a wafer for his present purpose, with which having sealed his letter, he returned hastily towards the brook side, in order to search for the things which he had there lost. In his way he met his old friend Black George, who heartily condoled with him on his misfortune; for this had already reached his ears, and indeed those of all the neighbourhood.

Jones acquainted the gamekeeper with his loss, and he as readily went back with him to the brook, where they searched every tuft of grass in the meadow, as well where Jones had not been, as where he had been; but all to no purpose, for they found nothing: for indeed, though the things were then in the meadow, they omitted to search the only place where they were deposited: to wit, in the pockets of the said George; for he had just before found them, and being luckily apprised of their value, had very carefully put them up for his own use.

The gamekeeper having exerted as much diligence in quest of the lost goods, as if he had hoped to find them, desired Mr. Jones to recollect if he had been in no other place: 'For sure,' said he, 'if you had lost them here so lately, the things must have been here still; for this is a very unlikely place for any one to pass by.' And indeed it was by great accident that he himself had passed through that field, in order to lay wires for hares, with which he was to supply a poulterer at Bath the next morning.

Jones now gave over all hopes of recovering his loss, and almost all thoughts concerning it, and turning to Black George, asked him earnestly if he would do him the greatest favour in the world?

George answered with some hesitation, 'Sir, you know you may command me whatever is in my power, and I 'heartily wish it was in my power to do you any service.' In fact, the question staggered him; for he had, by selling game, amassed a pretty good sum of money in Mr. Western's service, and was afraid that Jones wanted to borrow some small matter of him; but he was presently relieved from his anxiety, by being desired to convey a letter to Sophia, which with great pleasure he promised to do. And indeed I believe there are few favours which he would not have gladly conferred on Mr. Jones; for he bore as much gratitude towards him as he could, and was as honest as men who love money better than any other thing in the universe generally are.

Mrs. Honour was agreed by both to be the proper means by which this letter should pass to Sophia. They then separated; the gamekeeper returned home to Mr. Western's, and Jones walked to an alehouse at half a mile's distance, to wait for his messenger's return.

George no sooner came home to his master's house, than he met with Mrs. Honour; to whom, having first sounded her with a few previous questions, he delivered the letter for her mistress, and received at the same time another from her, for Mr. Jones; which Honour told him she had carried all that day in her bosom, and began to despair of finding any means of delivering it.

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The gamekeeper returned hastily and joyfully to Jones, who, having received Sophia's letter from him, instantly withdrew, and eagerly breaking it open, read as follows:

'SIR,

'It is impossible to express what I have felt since I saw you. Your submitting, on my account, to such 'cruel insults from my father, lays me under an obliga'tion I shall ever own. As you know his temper, I beg

you will, for my sake, avoid him. I wish I had any 'comfort to send you; but believe this, that nothing but 'the last violence shall ever give my hand or heart where เ you would be sorry to see them bestowed.'

Jones read this letter a hundred times over, and kissed it a hundred times as often. His passion now brought all tender desires back into his mind. He repented that he had writ to Sophia in the manner we have seen above; but he repented more that he had made use of the interval of his messenger's absence to write and dispatch a letter to Mr. Allworthy, in which he had faithfully promised and bound himself to quit all thoughts of his love. However, when his cool reflections returned, he plainly perceived that his case was neither mended nor altered by Sophia's billet, unless to give him some little glimpse of hope, from her constancy, of some favourable accident hereafter. He therefore resumed his resolution, and taking leave of Black George, set forward to a town about five miles distant, whither he had desired Mr. Allworthy, unless he pleased to revoke his sentence, to send his things after him.

CHAPTER XIII.

The behaviour of Sophia on the present occasion; which none of her sex will blame, who are capable of behaving in the same manner. And the discussion of a knotty point in the court of conscience.

SOPHIA had passed the last twenty-four hours in no very desirable manner. During a large part of them she had been entertained by her aunt with lectures of prudence, recommending to her the example of the polite world, where love (so the good lady said) is at present entirely

laughed at, and where women consider matrimony, as men do offices of public trust, only as the means of making their fortunes, and of advancing themselves in the world. In commenting on which text, Mrs. Western had displayed her eloquence during several hours.

These sagacious lectures, though little suited either to the taste or inclination of Sophia, were, however, less irksome to her than her own thoughts, that formed the entertainment of the night, during which she never once closed her eyes.

But though she could neither sleep nor rest in her bed; yet, having no avocation from it, she was found there by her father at his return from Allworthy's, which was not till past ten o'clock in the morning. He went directly up to her apartment, opened the door, and seeing she was not up, cried, 'Oh! you are safe then, and I am resolved เ to keep you so.' He then locked the door and delivered the key to Honour, having first given her the strictest charge, with great promises of rewards for her fidelity, and most dreadful menaces of punishment in case she should betray her trust.

Honour's orders were, not to suffer her mistress to come out of her room without the authority of the squire himself, and to admit none to her but him and her aunt; but she was herself to attend her with whatever Sophia pleased, except only pen, ink, and paper, of which she was forbidden the use.

The squire ordered his daughter to dress herself and attend him at dinner; which she obeyed; and having sat the usual time, was again conducted to her prison.

In the evening the gaoler Honour brought her the letter which she received from the gamekeeper. Sophia read it very attentively twice or thrice over, and then threw herself upon the bed, and burst into a flood of tears. Mrs. Honour expressed great astonishment at this beha