having told his friend the great success he had after his unluckily quitting the room, acquainted him with the accident which followed, and which the reader, as well as Mr. Wild, hath had some intimation of before; adding, however, one circumstance not hitherto mentioned, viz., that he had defended his money with the utmost bravery, and had dangerously wounded at least two of the three men that had attacked him. This behaviour Wild, who not only knew the extreme readiness with which the booty had been delivered, but also the constant frigidity of the Count's courage, highly applauded, and wished he had been present to assist him. The Count then proceeded to animadvert on the carelessness of the watch, and the scandal it was to the laws that honest people could not walk the streets in safety; and, after expatiating some time on that subject, he asked Mr. Wild if he ever saw so prodigious a run of luck (for so he chose to call his winning, though he knew Wild was well acquainted with his having loaded dice in his pocket); the other answered, it was indeed prodigious, and almost sufficient to justify any person, who did not know him better, in suspecting his fair play. No man, I believe, dares calls that in question, replied he. No surely, says Wild, you are well known to be a man of more honour: but pray, Sir, continued he, did the rascals rob you of all? Every shilling, cries the other, with an oath; they did not leave me a single stake.

While they were thus discoursing, Mr. Snap, with a gentleman who followed him, introduced Mr. Bagshot into the company. It seems Mr. Bagshot, immediately after his separation from Mr. Wild, returned to the gaming-table, where, having trusted to fortune that treasure which he had procured by his industry, the faithless goddess committed a breach of trust, and sent Mr. Bagshot away with as empty pockets as are to be

found in any laced coat in the kingdom. Now, as that gentleman was walking to a certain reputable house or shed in Covent-Garden market, he fortuned to meet with Mr. Snap, who had just returned from conveying the Count to his lodgings, and was then walking to and fro before the gaming-house door; for you are to know, my good reader, if you have never been a man of wit and pleasure about town, that as the voracious pike lieth snug under some weed before the mouth of any of those little streams which discharge themselves into a large river, waiting for the small fry which issue thereout; so hourly before the door or mouth of these gaming-houses doth Mr. Snap, or some other gentleman of his occupation, attend the issuing forth of the small fry of young gentlemen, to whom they deliver little slips of parchment, containing invitations of the said gentlemen to their houses, together with one Mr. John Doe", a person whose company is in great request. Mr. Snap, among many others of these billets, happened to have one directed to Mr. Bagshot, being at the suit or solicitation of one Mrs. Anne Sample, Spinster, at whose house the said Bagshot had lodged several months, and whence he had inadvertently departed without taking a formal leave, on which account Mrs. Anne had taken this method of speaking with him.

Mr. Snap's house being now very full of good company, he was obliged to introduce Mr. Bagshot into the Count's apartment, it being, as he said, the only chamber he had to lock up in. Mr. Wild no sooner saw his friend than he ran eagerly to embrace him, and immediately presented him to the Count, who received him with great civility.

*This is a fictitious name which is put into every writ; for what purpose the lawyers best know.

CHAPTER XII.

Further particulars relating to Miss Tishy, which perhaps may not greatly surprise after the former. The description of a very fine gentleman. And a dialogue between Wild and the Count, in which public virtue is just hinted at, with, &c.

MR. SNAP had turned the key a very few minutes before a servant of the family called Mr. Bagshot out of the room, telling him there was a person below who desired to speak with him; and this was no other than Miss Lætitia Snap, whose admirer Mr. Bagshot had long been, and in whose tender breast his passion had raised a more ardent flame than that which any of his rivals had been able to raise. Indeed she was so extremely fond of this youth, that she often confessed to her female confidantes, if she could ever have listened to the thought of living with any one man, Mr. Bagshot was he. Nor was she singular in this inclination, many other young ladies being her rivals in this lover, who had all the great and noble qualifications necessary to form a true gallant, and which nature is seldom so extremely bountiful as to indulge to any one person. We will endeavour, however, to describe them all with as much exactness as possible. He was then six feet high, had large calves, broad shoulders, a ruddy complexion, with brown curled hair, a modest assurance, and clean linen. He had indeed, it must be confessed, some small deficiencies to counterbalance these heroic qualities; for he was the silliest fellow in the world, could neither write nor read, nor had he a single grain or spark of honour, honesty, or goodnature, in his whole composition.

As soon as Mr. Bagshot had quitted the room, the Count,

taking Wild by the hand, told him he had something to communicate to him of very great importance: 'I am very well convinced,' said he, that Bagshot is the person who robbed me.'-Wild started with great amazement at this discovery, and answered with a most serious countenance, 'I advise you to take care how you cast any such reflections on a man of Mr. Bagshot's nice honour; for I am certain he will not bear it.' 'D-n 'his honour,' quoth the enraged Count,' nor can I bear being robbed; I will apply to a justice of the peace.' Wild replied with great indignation, 'Since you dare 'entertain such a suspicion against my friend, I will 'henceforth disclaim all acquaintance with you.

Mr.

Bagshot is a man of honour, and my friend, and conseเ quently it is impossible he should be guilty of a bad 'action.' He added much more to the same purpose, which had not the expected weight with the Count; for the latter still seemed certain as to the person, and resolute in applying for justice, which, he said, he thought he owed to the public, as well as to himself. Wild then changed his countenance into a kind of derision, and spoke as follows: Suppose it should be possible that 'Mr. Bagshot had, in a frolic (for I will call it no other), ' taken this method of borrowing your money, what will you get by prosecuting him? Not your money again; 'for you hear he was stript at the gaming-table;' (of which Bagshot had, during their short confabulation informed them) 'you will get then an opportunity of being still more out of pocket by the prosecution. 'Another advantage you may promise yourself, is the being blown up at every gaming-house in town, for that 'I will assure you of; and then much good may it do you to sit down with the satisfaction of having discharged 'what it seems you owe the public. I am ashamed of my own discernment when I mistook you for a great

เ

เ man. Would it not be better for you to receive part '(perhaps all) of your money again by a wise concealเ ment; for however seedy Mr. Bagshot may be now,

เ

if

he hath really played this frolic with you, you may 'believe he will play it with others, and when he is in เ cash you may depend on a restoration; the law will 'be always in your power, and that is the last remedy 'which a brave or a wise man would resort to. Leave 'the affair therefore to me; I will examine Bagshot, and ' if I find he hath played you this trick, I will engage my own honour, you shall in the end be no loser.' The Count answered: 'If I were sure to be no loser, Mr. 'Wild, I apprehend you have a better opinion of my ' understanding than to imagine I would prosecute a gentleman for the sake of the public. These are foolish 'words of course, which we learn a ridiculous habit of speaking, and will often break from us without any design or meaning. I assure you, all I desire is a re'imbursement, and if I can by your means obtain that, ' the public may—' concluding with a phrase too coarse to be inserted in a history of this kind.

They were now informed that dinner was ready, and the company assembled below stairs, whither the reader may, if he please, attend these gentlemen.

There sat down at the table Mr. Snap, and the two Miss Snaps, his daughters, Mr. Wild the elder, Mr. Wild the younger, the Count, Mr. Bagshot, and a grave gentleman, who had formerly had the honour of carrying arms in a regiment of foot, and who was now engaged in the office (perhaps a more profitable one) of assisting or following Mr. Snap in the execution of the laws of his country.

Nothing very remarkable passed at dinner.-The con

* Poor.