.

with mr. Sparkish, nor knew it was in the nature of man to take advantage of a maid's fimplicity; but I will not protract the narrative I promifed by any • needlefs particulars. Every thing hap-: pened but too fortunately, alas! according to my wish: I found mr. Wildly in the church-porch, gave him the fatal billet, unperceived by any one: night caine on, all the family were gone to • their repofe, - and I unfeen, unheard, and unfufpected, quitted my chamber, and taking the route I told you of, opened the garden door, where it feems the perfon I expected had waited above half an hour.

.

.

His firft falutations were the most • humble, and withal the most endearing, that could be. 6 My angel,' faid he, how heavenly good you are! permit "me thus to thank you." With thefe words he threw himself on his knees, and taking one of my hands, kiffed it with the extremeft tenderness. But, oh! let no young woman depend on the firft profeffions of her lover; nor in her own power of keeping him at a proper dif

⚫tance.

Here a fudden gufh of tears prevented her, for fome minutes, from profecuting

her

her difcourfe, and mifs Betfy found herfelf obliged to treat her with more tendernefs, than in her own mind the thought the nature of her cafe deferved.

CHAP. XIV.

Concludes mifs Forward's narrative, and relates fome further particulars of mifs Betfy's behaviour, on hearing a detail She fo little expected.

HOW fweet are the confolations of

a

fincere friend! - how greatly do they alleviate the fevereft of misfortunes! mifs Forward foon dried up her tears, on a foft commiferation fhe faw they excited in mifs Betfy; and stifling, as well as fhe could, the rifing fighs with which her bofom heaved, at the remembrance of what fhe was going to relate, refumed her mournful ftory in these terms:

You may very well fuppofe,' faid fhe, that the garden-door was not a proper place to entertain my lover in : -goodmanners forbad me to ufe him in fo • coarse a manner: befides, late as it was, fome paffenger might happen to come that way; I therefore led him into

• the

the arbour, at the end of the terrass, where we fat down together, on that • broad bench under the arch, where you fo often used to loll, and call it your throne of state. Never was there a finer night the moon, and her attendant ftars, fhone with uncommon brightness, the air was all ferene, the boisterous winds • were all locked in their caverns, and only gentle zephirs, with their fanning wings, • wafted a thousand odours from the neighbouring plants, perfuming all around. 'Twas an enchanting fcene: nature her⚫ felf feemed to confpire my ruin, and contributed all in her power to lull my mind into a foft forgetfulness of what I owed myself, my fame, -my fortune, and my family.

I was beginning to tell him, how fenfible I was, that to admit him in this manner, was against all the rules of decency and decorum, and that I hoped he would not abufe the good opinion I • had of him, nor entertain the worfe of me for my fo readily complying with his requeft, and fuch like ftuff: to which he gave little ear, and only answered me with proteftations of the most violent C paffion that ever was;fwore that I had more charms than my whole fex befides could boaft of;-that I was an

• angel!

angel!-a goddefs! - that I was nature's whole perfection in one piece : then looking on me with the most ten' der languishments, he repeated these • lines in a kind of extafy :

In forming thee, heav'n took unusual 6 care;

Like its own beauty it defigned thee

fair,

And copied from the best-lov'd angel there.

The answers I made to these romantic encomiums were filly enough, I believe, and fuch as encouraged him to think I was too well pleased to be much offended at any thing he did. He kiffed, he clafped me to his bofom, ftill filencing my rebukes, by telling me how hand• fome I was, and how much he loved me; and that as opportunities of speaking to me were fo difficult to be ob⚫tained, I must not think him too prefuming if he made the most of this.

• What could I do? how refift his preffures? The maid having put me to bed that night, as ufual, I had no time • to dress myself again after I got up, fo was in the moft loofe difhabille that can be imagined. His ftrength was far fuperior to mine; - there was no crea

<

• ture

-

ture to come to my affiftance ; the time, the place, all joined to aid his wifhes; and, with the bittereft regret and fhame I now confefs it, my C own fond heart too much confented.

In a word, my dear mifs Betfy, from one liberty he proceeded to another, till at last there was nothing left for him to afk, or me to grant.'

These last words were accompanied with a fecond flood of tears, which streamed in fuch abundance down her cheeks, that mifs Betfy was extremely moved her good-nature made her pity the diftrefs, tho' her virtue and understanding taught her to deteft and defpife the ill conduct which occafioned it: fhe wept, and fighed, in concert with her afflicted friend, and omitted nothing that he thought might contribute to affwage her forrows.

Mifs Forward was charmed with this generofity in mifs Betfy, and compofed herself as much as poffible, to make those acknowlegments it merited from her; and then proceeded to gratify her curiofity with that part of her adventures which yet remained untold.