by; ' Iprotest I think your landlady a mighty civil, obliging woman.'• Well, I don't like her,' replied Henrietta; the has let her first floor all on ¿ a fudden to the gentleman we faw in the hop. And how does that affect you? interrupted Mifs Woodby. Henrietta bluthed at this question; the was not willing to own that he thought there was fome defign in his coming, and expected her friend would have made that inference hertelf; but finding the did not, the endeavoured to divert her attention from the hint he had dropped, by faying he had fet her heart upon going to Mrs. Egret's, and had told Mrs. Eccles that the was to leave her today.

That was very imprudently done of you,' faid Mifs Woodby, before you knew whether Mrs. Egret could accommodate you with lodgings; but own the truth now,' purfued the, 'did you not put yourself into a flutter upon hearing the gentleman had taken lodgings here?'

Why, I cannot help faying I was ftartled at it,' replied Henrietta, and the more when I heard he was a man of quality; for furely these lodgings ¶ are much too mean for a person of that • rank.'

Is he a man of quality?' exclaimed Mifs Woodby: Oh! the dear creature! I proteft I am quite in love with him now; I doat on a man of quality. And pray, why fhould his coming fright you away? Ah! my dear,' faid the, finiling archly, had I not reafon for faying a moment ago, that on the article of vanity we are all fools? Now are you ready to imagine here is a plot between this young nobleman and Mrs. Eccles against your fair felf, Poor lady! purfued the, laughing, this prefumptuous knight will certainly carry you away.'

...

You are in a gay humour to-day,' faid Mifs Courteney, blufhing; but, raillery a-part, it imports me greatly not to be known: this lord, as Mrs. Eccies fays he is, will no doubt have a great many perfons coming after him; I may be feen and difcovered; and, if you knew what I have to dread in that cafe, I am fure you would think it reafonable for me to be defirous of leaving this houfe.'

You will be in more danger of a

But, my dear Mifs Woodby,' faid Henrietta, laughing, why, have you changed your mind about my going to Ms. Egret's? I have not changed my mind,' rephed Mifs Woodby; I am ready to do what I promijed, but it is my opinion that if Mrs. Egret cannot furnish you with a lodging, you will be very fafe here, and I will be with you as often as I can. Ah, my dear,' faid Mifs Courteney, mimicking the tone fhe had ufed to her; but come write a line to Mrs. Egret, to know if he has a fingie room to fpare, and I fhall be fatisfied." Mifs Woodby immediately complied with her request, and a porter was dif patched to St. James's Street, who foon returned with a billet from Mrs. Egret to Mils Woodby, expreffing her concern that he could not accommodate her friend.

hurt a caufe I had fo much at heart, by defending it weakly.

However, I was often drawn in to ⚫ antwer by fome apparent abfurdity addvanced by him, which it feemed mighty · easy to refute. On thele occations • Mr. Danvers would listen to me with ⚫ wonderful attention, obferve the moft ⚫ minute exactnefs in his reply, as if what i had urged had indeed great • force: nav, he would fometimes feem a little preffed by my arguments; paule for a few moments, as if he found it necellry to collect all his strength againit fo potent an adverfary; and, • after a well-turned compliment on my ⚫ understanding, ne would refume the argument, in which he never failed to puzzle, though he could not convince ine; but always concluded with a declaration that I was too hard for him; ⚫ and it was well he had the bett fide of the argument, for nothing but truth could and againit fuch fubtilty of rea• foning.

Thefe praifes always left me in a ⚫ very good difpofition to renew the fubject whenever an opportunity offered. I began to be extremely fond of difputing with the chaplain; and, inttead of fhunning it, as I used to do, I even invited his oppofition.

I have heard it obferved, that vanity cheats many a woman out of her honou; I am fur- it was weil nigh cheatig me out of my religion; for this Jeft, by his infidious praifes, had given me fuch a confidence in my taient of reafoning, that I began tɔ believe, if he did not make a profelyte of I fhould certainly make one of hin; and, in my eager purfuit of victory, I fometimes engaged myself beyond my strength, and received fuch checks, that if my faith was not over thrown, yet it was ftrangely itaggered: but fome difguit whi h I took to the ⚫ manners of the chaplain preferved me from the poifon of his doctrine, and inade me lofe all my relish for arguing

very lavih of his compliments and praides; of which my perfon would even come in for a fhare. He would gaze on my face till he loft the cham' of his difcourfe, and, by his inattention to what he was faying, gave me many advantages over him; and of ten, while he was purfuing his argument with great warmth, he would Jay his hand on mine, hold it for feveral minutes together, and prets it fo violently, that I could hardly help 'crying out.

All this, however, would not have ftartled me; but one day, taking occation, upon fomething I had faid, to break into an exclamation of furprize. at my prodigious undertanding, he kiffed my hand in a kind of rapture; and having once taken this liberty, he repeated it feveral times, to my great confufion and furprize.

There are fufpicions, my dear, which, against perfons of a certain character, one dare not even avow to 'one's felf. I was fhocked, yet would not venture to examine why; I could never endure to be alone with him, yet never asked myfelf the reafon; my eves, as it were, mechanically avoided his; his civilities were odious to me. If he caquired after my health, I anfwered him coldly, without knowing I did fo; and when he launched into any of his ufual praises, I was downright rude to him, yet fcarce per'ceived it myself.

I now fo carefully fhunned being alone with him, that notwithstanding he fought opportunities of engaging me in private, which heightened my difguft, yet he never could find any. This conduct, if he had any guilt in his heart, mult certainly give him caufe to think I had detected it; and indeed I foon found, by my aunt's altered behaviour, that he was endea vouring to undermine me in her affection.

The little peevishnefs L.obferved in her towards me, I imputed at first to her chagrin at my having disappointed her withes in not becoming a convert to that religion fhe profeffed; but I foon found that the had been made to conceive strange notions of me. She objected to the gaiety of my difpofition; fhe did not like that crowd of lovers, · as the phrafed it, that followed me, ... and

and were encouraged by my coquet airs, and the pleasure I fhewed in be⚫ing admired.

It is certain, that the report of the fortune my aunt defigned for me, procured me addreffes from feveral men, whom as fhe did not approve, fo neither did I encourage; having, in reality, none of that fort of vanity which is gratified by a great many pretenders of this kind, nor did I feel the leaft partiality to any one of them; fo that I ⚫told her it would give me no uncafiness if the forbid their vifits for the future, which, fince I found they were dif agreeable to her, I would have done ⚫ myself, if I had thought it became me to take that liberty in her house. This ⚫ declaration would not fatisfy my aunt: fhe had further views; I must marry, and the muft chufe a husband for me, without leaving me, in an affair that fo nearly concerned my happiness, even a negative voice.

I have no doubt but that the perfon ⚫ the pitched upon was recommended to her by the chaplain; he was a Roman Catholick baronet, had a large eftate, was not much above fixty years of age, his perfon juft not horrible, and he was not quite a fool. This was the man whom my aunt propoied to me, or • rather cominanded me to accept ; for he had modefty enough not to try to engage my affections, till he had secured her confent, and was admitted in form to make his addrefes to me.

My aunt indeed allowed that there was fome disproportion in our years; but then he had a good ettate, and I was wholly dependent upon her; his perfon, the acknowledged, was not very amiable, but he was a baronet, and could give me a title. "To be fure," • the faid, "he was not a man of bright parts, but he would make a good jet❝tlement on me;" and concluded with affuring me, that my chearful confent would greatly endear me to her, which I fhould find by the difpofition the ⚫ would make in her will.

་་

him; that I was extremely happy in my prefent fituation, and had no with 'to change it.

Lady Meadows, I perceived, was a little offended at this to politive a declaration; but I had nothing for it but steadiness." I expected," faid 'fhe, " more compliance from that "fweetnels I have been fond of fuppofing in your temper; and from your "good fenfe, a greater attention to your own intereft." I affured her, that it was and ever fhould be my fincereft endeavour to avoid offending her; that I would admit no offer but fuch as the fhould approve; and that I would guard my heart against any preference which was not authorited by her: more than this I told her was not in my power to promife, for no confideration of intereft could prevail upon me to give my hand to a man whom it was impoflible for me either to love or efteem.

Finding the liftened to me patiently, I urged every argument my imagination could furnish me with, to prove to her that fuch an engagement, entered into upon pecuniary motives only, could not be happy, and might be very miferable. I begged the would not think of difpofing of me in marriage, till I feemed lets fatisfied with my prefent happy lot; and that, by giving the no fuperior duties in dometick life to fulfil, the might entitle her-> felf to all my undivided cares, af•fection, and affiduity.

My aunt feemed affected with what I faid: he told me the had no intention to force my inclination; that, loving me fo well as the did, it was natural for her to wish to fee me fettled; that Sir Ifaac Darby was a very ⚫ advantageous offer; the recommended to me to confider well what I refufed, and to conquer my unreasonable diflike of him if possible.

I fimiled, curtfied, and went out of the room where this long converfation ⚫ had been held, for I heard the chaplain's ftep in my aunt's dreffing-room;

• and