THE.

HISTORY

O F

Mifs BETSY THOUGHTLESS.

CHAP. I..

Gives the reader room to guess at what is to enfue, tho' ten to one but he finds bimfelf deceived.

T was always my opinion, that fewer women were un done by love, than vanity; and that thofe miftakes the sex are fometimes guilty of, proceed, for the moft part, inadvertency, than a vicious inclination. The ladies, however, I am forry to obferve, are apt to make too little allowances to each other on this score, and

rather from

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feem

feem better pleafed with an occafion to com demn, than to excufe; and it is not above one, in a greater number than I will prefume to mention, who, while fhe paffes the fevereft cenfure on the conduct of her friend, will be at the trouble of taking a retrospect on her own. There are fome who behold, with indignation and contempt, those errors in others, which, unhappily, they are every day falling into themfelves; and as want of a due confideration occafions the guilt, fo the want of a due confideration also occafions the scandal: and there would be much less room either for the one or the other, were fome part of that time, which is wafted at the toilet, in confulting what dress is most becoming to the face, employed in examining the heart, and what actions are most becoming of the character.

Betfy Thoughtless was the only daughter of a gentleman of good family and fortune in L e, where he conftantly refided, scarce ever going to London, and contented himself with fuch diverfions as the country afforded. On the death of his wife, he fent this little favourite, then about ten years old, to a boarding-fchool, the governefs of which had the reputation of a woman of great good fenfe, fine breeding, and every way qualified for the well forming of

the

the minds of those young perfons who were entrusted to her care.

The old gentleman was fo well pleased with having placed his daughter where she was fo likely to improve in all the accomplishments befitting her sex, that he never fuffered her to come home, even at breaking-up times, when most of the other young ladies did fo; but as the fchool was not above seven or eight miles from his feat, he feldom failed calling to fee her once or twice a week.

Mifs Betfy, who had a great deal of good-nature, and fomewhat extremely engaging in her manner of behaviour, foon gained the affection not only of the governess, but of all the young ladies; but as girls, as well as women, have their particular favourites, to whom they may communicate their little fecrets, there was one, who above all the others was diftinguished by her. Mifs Forward, for fo fhe was called, was also very fond of mifs Betsy. This intimacy beginning but in trivial things, and fuch as fuited their age, continued as they advanced nearer to maturity. Mifs Forward, however, had two years the advantage of her friend, yet did not disdain to make her the confidante of a kind of amorous intrigue she had entered into with a young B 2 lad,

lad, called mafter Sparkish, the son of a neighbouring gentleman: he had fallen in love with her at church, and had taken all opportunities to convince her of his paffion :

fhe, proud of being looked upon as a woman, encouraged it. Frequent letters paffed between them; for fhe never failed to answer thofe fhe received from him, both which were fhewn to mifs Betfy, and this gave her an early light into the art and mystery of courtship, and, confequently, a relish for admiration. The young lover calling his mistress angel and goddess, made her long to be in her teens, that she might have the fame fine things faid of her.

This correfpondence being, by fome accident, discovered, the governess found it behoved her to keep a ftrict eye upon mifs Forward; all the fervants were examined concerning the conveying any letters, either to or from her; but none of them knew any thing of the matter: it was a fecret to all but mifs Betfy, who kept it inviolably. It is fit, however, the reader fhould not remain in ignorance.

Mafter Sparkish had read the story of Piramus and Thisbe ;- he told his mistrefs of it, and in imitation of thofe lovers of antiquity, ftuck his letters into a little crevice he found in the garden wall, whence the

pulled

pulled them out every day, and returned her answers by the fame friendly breach, which he very gallantly told her in one of his epiftles, had been made by the god of love himself, in order to favour his fuit; fo that all the governefs's circumfpection could not hinder this amour from going on without interruption; and could they have contented themselves with barely writing to each other, they might, probably, have done fo till they both had been weary; but tho' I will not pretend to fay, that either of them had any thing in their inclinations that was not perfectly confiftent with innocence, yet, it is certain, they both languished for a nearer converfation, which the fertile brain of mifs Forward at laft brought about.

She pretended one funday, in the afternoon, to have fo violent a pain in her head, that the could not go to church: mifs Betfy begged leave to ftay and keep her company, and told the governess she would read a fermon, or fome other good book, to her; the good old gentlewoman, little fufpecting the plot concerted between them, readily confented.

No body being left in the house but themselves, and one maid-servant, young Sparkifh, who had previous notice at what hour to come, was let in at the garden door,

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