'make her a good husband; and to be sure if

you do

not, nothing can be bad enough for you.' Jones begged her only to whisper, for that there was a lady dying in the next room. A lady!' cries she; 'ay, I suppose 'one of your ladies.-O Mr. Jones, there are too many of them in the world; I believe we are got into the 'house of one, for my Lady Bellaston I darst to say is no better than she should be.'-' Hush! hush!' cries Jones, 'every word is overheard in the next room.' 'I 'don't care a farthing,' cries Honour, 'I speaks no 'scandal of any one; but to be sure the servants make 'no scruple of saying as how her ladyship meets men at another place—where the house goes under the name of a poor gentlewoman, but her ladyship pays the rent, and many's the good thing besides, they say, 'she hath of her.'-Here Jones, after expressing the utmost uneasiness, offered to stop her mouth :-' Hey'day! why sure, Mr. Jones, you will let me speak, I 'speaks no scandal, for I only says what I heard from others,—and thinks I to myself, much good may it do 'the gentlewoman with her riches, if she comes by it in such a wicked manner. To be sure it is better to 'be poor and honest.' The servants are villains,' cries Jones, and abuse their lady unjustly.'-'Ay, to 'be sure, servants are always villains, and so my lady says, and won't hear a word of it.' -'No, I am convinced,' says Jones, my Sophia is above listening 'to such base scandal.' 'Nay, I believe it is no scandal, 6 neither,' cries Honour, 'for why should she meet men ' at another house?-It can never be for any good: for if she had a lawful design of being courted, as to be sure any lady may lawfully give her company to men เ upon that account; why, where can be the sense?' 'I protest,' cries Jones, 'I can't hear all this of a lady of 'such honour, and a relation of Sophia; besides, you

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'will distract the poor lady in the next room.—Let me

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intreat you to walk with me down stairs.'

Nay,

Sir, if you won't let me speak, I have done.-Here, Sir, is a letter from my young lady,--what would เ some men give to have this? But Mr. Jones, I think you are not over and above generous, and yet I have heard some servants say--but I am sure you will 'do me the justice to own I never saw the colour of your money.' Here Jones hastily took the letter, and presently after slipped five pieces into her hand. He then returned a thousand thanks to his dear Sophia in a whisper, and begged her to leave him to read her letter she presently departed, not without expressing much grateful sense of his generosity.

Lady Bellaston now came from behind the curtain. How shall I describe her rage? Her tongue was at first incapable of utterance; but streams of fire darted from her eyes, and well indeed they might, for her heart was all in a flame. And now as soon as her voice found way, instead of expressing any indignation against Honour or her own servants, she began to attack poor Jones. You see,' said she, 'what I have sacrificed to you, my reputation, my honour,-gone for ever! And what return have I found? Neglected, slighted for a country girl, for an idiot.'-'What neglect, Madam, or what slight,' cries Jones, 'have I been guilty of?'

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Mr. Jones,' said she, 'it is in vain to dissemble, if you will make me casy, you must entirely give her up; and as a proof of your intention, shew me the letter.'

What letter, Madam?' said Jones. Nay, surely,' said she, you cannot have the confidence to deny your having received a letter by the hands of that trollop.' And can your ladyship,' cries he, 'ask of me what I 'must part with my honour before I grant? acted in such a manner by your ladyship?

Have I Could I

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'be guilty of betraying this poor innocent girl to you, 'what security could you have that I should not act the 'same part by yourself? A moment's reflection will, I am sure, convince you, that a man with whom the secrets of a lady are not safe must be the most con'temptible of wretches.'- Very well,' said she,—' I 'need not insist on your becoming this contemptible 'wretch in your opinion; for the inside of the letter 'could inform me of nothing more than I know already. 'I see the footing you are upon.'--Here ensued a long conversation, which the reader, who is not too curious, will thank me for not inserting at length. It shall suffice, therefore, to inform him, that Lady Bellaston grew more and more pacified, and at length believed, or affected to believe, his protestations, that his meeting with Sophia that evening was merely accidental, and every other matter which the reader already knows, and which, as Jones set before her in the strongest light, it is plain that she had in reality no reason to be angry with him.

She was not, however, in her heart, perfectly satisfied with his refusal to shew her the letter; so deaf are we to the clearest reason when it argues against our prevailing passions. She was, indeed, well convinced that Sophia possessed the first place in Jones's affections; and yet, haughty and amorous as this lady was, she submitted at last to bear the second place; or, to express it more properly in a legal phrase, was contented with the possession of that of which another woman had the reversion.

It was at length agreed, that Jones should for the future visit at the house: for that Sophia, her maid, and all the servants would place these visits to the account of Sophia; and that she herself would be considered as the person imposed upon.

This scheme was contrived by the lady, and highly

relished by Jones, who was indeed glad to have a prospect of seeing his Sophia at any rate; and the lady herself was not a little pleased with the imposition on Sophia, which Jones, she thought, could not possibly discover to her for his own sake.

The next day was appointed for the first visit, and then, after proper ceremonials, the Lady Bellaston returned home.

CHAPTER III.

Containing various matters.

JONES was no sooner alone than he eagerly broke open his letter, and read as follows:

'SIR, it is impossible to express what I have suffered 'since you left this house; and as I have reason to think เ you intend coming here again, I have sent Honour, though so late at night, as she tells me she knows your 'lodgings, to prevent you. I charge you, by all the เ regard you have for me, not to think of visiting here; 'for it will certainly be discovered; nay, I almost doubt 'from some things which have dropt from her ladyship, 'that she is not already without some suspicion. Someเ thing favourable perhaps may happen; we must wait 'with patience; but I once more entreat you, if you have any concern for my ease, do not think of returning ' hither.'

This letter administered the same kind of consolation to poor Jones, which Job formerly received from his friends. Besides disappointing. all the hopes which he

promised to himself from seeing Sophia, he was reduced to an unhappy dilemma, with regard to Lady Bellaston; for there are some certain engagements, which, as he well knew, do very difficultly admit of any excuse for the failure; and to go, after the strict prohibition from Sophia, he was not to be forced by any human power. At length, after much deliberation, which during that night supplied the place of sleep, he determined to feign himself sick for this suggested itself, as the only means of failing the appointed visit, without incensing Lady Bellaston, which he had more than one reason of desiring to avoid.

The first thing, however, which he did in the morning, was, to write an answer to Sophia, which he inclosed in one to Honour. He then dispatched another to Lady Bellaston, containing the above-mentioned excuse; and to this he soon received the following answer:

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'I AM Vexed that I cannot see you here this afternoon, 'but more concerned for the occasion; take great care of เ yourself, and have the best advice, and I hope there ' will be no danger.-I am so tormented all this morning 'with fools, that I have scarce a moment's time to write 'to you. Adieu.

'P.S. I will endeavour to call on you this evening เ at nine.-Be sure to be alone.'

Mr. Jones now received a visit from Mrs. Miller, who, after some formal introduction, began the following speech: 'I am very sorry, Sir, to wait upon you on such an occasion; but I hope you will consider the ill consequence which it must be to the reputation of my poor girls, if my house should once be talked of as a house of ill-fame. I hope you won't think me therefore guilty of impertinence, if I beg you not to bring any more

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