She

different emotions from the expression of her love to Billy, and her visit to me, from what I had once before. was sorry, she said, Mr. B was abroad; though her business was principally with me. For, Mrs. B, said she, I come to tell you all that passed between Mr. Band myself, that you may not think worse of either of us than we deserve; and I could not leave England till I had done myself the pleasure of waiting on you for this purpose; and yet perhaps from the distance of time, you'll think it needless now. And indeed I should have waited on you before, to have cleared up my character with you, had I thought I should have been so long kept on this side of the

water.

I said, I was very sorry I had ever been uneasy, when I had two persons of so much honour-Nay, said she, interrupting me, you have no need to apologise: things looked bad enough, as they were represented to you, to justify greater uneasiness than you expressed.

She asked me, Who that pretty genteel miss was?—I said, a relation of Lord Davers, who was intrusted lately to my care. Then, miss, said her ladyship, and kissed her, you are very happy.

Believing the countess was desirous of being alone with me, I said, My dear Miss Goodwin, won't you go to your little nursery, my love? For so she calls my last blessing— you'd be sorry the baby should cry for you-for she was so taken with the charming lady, that she was loath to leave us-but, on my saying this, withdrew.

When we were alone, the countess began her story with a sweet confusion, which added to her loveliness. She said, she would be brief, because she should exact all my attention, and not suffer me to interrupt her till she had done.

She began with acknowledging, 'That she thought, when 'she first saw Mr. B at the masquerade, that he was 'the finest gentleman she had ever seen; that the allowed 'freedoms of the place had made her take liberties in 'following him, and engaging him wherever he went. She 'blamed him very freely for passing for a single man; for

that, she said (since she had so splendid a fortune of her 'own), was all she was solicitous about; having never, as 'she confessed, seen a man she could like so well; her 'former marriage having been in some sort forced upon. her, at an age when she knew not how to distinguish ; ' and that she was very loath to believe him married, even when she had no reason to doubt it. Yet this I must say, 'madam, said her ladyship, I never heard a man, when he 'owned he was married, express himself with more affec'tionate regard and fondness than he did of you, whenever ' he spoke of you to me; which made me long to see you: 'for I had a great opinion of those personal advantages 6 which every one flattered me with; and was very unwill'ing to yield the palm of beauty to you.

'I believe you will censure me, Mrs. B-, for permitting his visits after I knew he was married. To be sure 'that was a thoughtless and a faulty part of my conduct '-but the world's saucy censures, and my friends' indiscreet interposals, incensed me; and knowing the upright'ness of my own heart, I was resolved to disregard both, 'when I found they could not think worse of me than 'they did.

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'I am naturally of a high spirit, impatient of contradiction, always gave myself freedoms, for which, satisfied 'with my own innocence, I thought myself above being ' accountable to anybody.-And then Mr. B has such 'noble sentiments, a courage and fearlessness which I saw on more occasions than one, that all ladies who know the 'weakness of their own sex, and how much they want the 'protection of the brave, are taken with. Then his personal address was so peculiarly distinguishing, that ' having an opinion of his honour, I was embarrassed greatly how to deny myself his conversation; although, you'll 'pardon me, Mrs. B—, I began to be afraid that my reputation might suffer in the world's opinion for the indulgence.

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'Then, when I had resolved, as I did several times, to see him no more, some unforeseen accident threw him in

my way again, at one entertainment or other; for I love 'balls, and concerts, and public diversions perhaps better than I ought; and then I had all my resolves to begin ' again.

'Yet this I can truly say, whatever his views were, I never heard from him the least indecent expression, nor 'saw in his behaviour to me aught that might make me very apprehensive; saving, that I began to fear, that by 'his insinuating address, and noble manner, I should be "too much in his power, and too little in my own, if I went on so little doubting, and so little alarmed, if ever he 'should avow dishonourable designs.

I had often lamented, said her ladyship, that our sex were prohibited, by the designs of the other upon their 'honour, and by the world's censures, from conversing 'with the same ease and freedom with gentlemen, as with one another. And when once I asked myself, to what 'this conversation might tend at last? and where the pleasure each seemed to take in the other's, might possibly ' end? I resolved to break it off; and told him my resolu'tion next time I saw him. But he stopped my mouth 'with a romantic notion, as I since think it (though a sorry plea will have weight in favour of a proposal, to ' which one has no aversion), of Platonic love; and we had an intercourse by letters, to the number of six or eight, I 'believe, on that and other subjects.

'Yet all this time I was the less apprehensive, because 'he always spoke so tenderly, and even with delight, whenever he mentioned his lady; and I could not find that

you were at all alarmed at our acquaintance; for I never scrupled to send my letters by my own livery to your 'house, sealed with my own seal.

'At last indeed he began to tell me, that from the

sweetest and the evenest temper in the world, you seemed

to be leaning towards melancholy, were always in tears,

or showed you had been weeping, when he came home;

' and that you did not make his return to you so agreeable 6 as he used to find it.

'I asked, if it were not owing to some alteration in 'his own temper? If you might not be uneasy at our acquaintance, and at his frequent absence from you, ' and the like? He answered, No!-that you were above disguises, were of a noble and frank nature, and would have taken some opportunity to hint it to him, if you

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' had.

'This, however, when I began to think seriously of the matter, gave me but little satisfaction; and I was more ' and more convinced that my honour required it of me, 'to break off this intimacy.

And although I permitted Mr. B to go with me to Tunbridge, when I went to take a house there, yet I was uneasy, as he saw. And indeed so was he, though he 'tarried a day or two longer than he designed, on account of a little excursion my sister and her lord, and he and 'I, made into Sussex, to see an estate that I had thoughts ' of purchasing; for he was so good as to look into my 'affairs for me, and has put them upon an admirable 'establishment.

'His uneasiness, he told me, was upon your account, ' and he sent you a letter to excuse himself for not waiting on you on Saturday, and to tell you, he would dine with you on Monday. And I remember, when I said, Mr. 'B—, you seem to be chagrined at something; you are more thoughtful than usual: his answer was-Madam, you are right. Mrs. B and I have had a little mis'understanding. She is so solemn and so melancholy of 'late, that I fear it will be no difficult matter to put her 'out of her right mind: and I love her so well, that then 'I should hardly keep my own.

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Is there no reason, think you, said I, to imagine that your acquaintance with me gives her uneasiness? You 'know, Mr. B—, how that villain, T- (a man, said she, whose insolent address I rejected with the contempt 'it deserved), has slandered us. How know you, but he ' has found a way to your wife's ear, as he has done to my ' uncle's, and to all my friends? And, if so, it is best for

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us both to discontinue a friendship that, at the least, may ' be attended with disagreeable consequences.

'He said, he should find it out on his return to you. 'And will you, said I, ingenuously acquaint me with the 'issue of your inquiries? for, added I, I never beheld a countenance in so young a lady, that seemed to mean 'more than Mrs. B's, when I saw her in town; and notwithstanding her prudence, I could see a reserve and thoughtfulness in it, that, if it was not natural to it, must ' indicate too much.

'He returned to you, madam: He wrote to me, in a very moving letter, the issue of your conference, and ' referred to some papers of yours that he would show me, 'as soon as he could procure them, they being out of your ' own hands; and let me know that T was the accuser, as I had suspected.

'In brief, madam, when you went down into Kent, he came to me, and read some part of your account to Lady 'Davers, of your informant and information; your appre'hensions; your prudence; your affection for him; the 'reason of your melancholy; and according to the appearance things bore, reason enough you had, especially from the letter of Thomasine Fuller, which was one of T's 'vile forgeries: for though we had often, for argument's

sake, talked of polygamy (he arguing for it, I against it), 'yet had not Mr. B- dared, I will say, nor was he 'inclined, I verily believe, to propose any such thing to me.

No, madam, I was not so much abandoned of a sense ' of honour, as to give reason for any one, but my imper'tinent and foolish uncle, to impute such a folly to me; ' and he had so behaved to me, that I cared not what he 'thought.

6 Then, what he read to me, here and there, as he pleased, gave me reason to admire you for your generous opinion of one you had so much seeming cause to be 'afraid of. He told me his apprehensions, from your uncommon manner, that your mind was in some degree affected, and your strange proposal of parting with a