sir," said she; "but I am convinced Mr. Allworthy himself would never come within my doors, if he had the least suspicion of my keeping an ill house."--" Very well, madam," said Jones."I hope, sir," said she, "you are not angry; for I would not for the world offend any of Mr. Allworthy's family. I have not slept a wink all night about this matter." ——“I am sorry I have disturbed your rest, madam," said Jones, "but I beg you will send Partridge up to me immediately;" which she promised to do, and then with a very low courtesy retired. As soon as Partridge arrived, Jones fell upon him in the most outrageous manner.-"How often," said he, "am I to suffer for your folly, or rather for my own in keeping you? Is that tongue of yours resolved upon my destruction?". "What have I done, sir?" answered affrighted Partridge. "Who was it gave you authority to mention the story of the robbery, or that the man you saw here was the person?"- "I, sir?" cries Partridge. "Now don't be guilty of a falsehood in denying it," said Jones." If I did mention such a matter," answers Partridge, "I am sure, I thought no harm: for I should not have opened my lips, if it had not been to his own friends and relations, who, I imagined, would have let it go no farther." "But I have a much heavier charge against you," cries Jones, "than this. How durst you, after all the precautions I gave you, mention the name of Mr. Allworthy in this house?" Partridge denied that he ever had, with many oaths. "How else," said Jones, "should Mrs. Miller be acquainted that there was any connection between him and me? And it is but this moment she told me, she respected me on his account."-"O Lord, sir," said Partridge, "I desire only to be heard out; and to be sure, never was any thing so unfortunate; hear me but out, and you will own how wrongfully you have accused me. When Mrs. Honour came down stairs last night, she met me in the entry, and asked me when my master had heard from Mr. Allworthy; and to be sure Mrs. Miller heard the very words; and the moment Madam Honour was gone, she called me into the parlour to her. 'Mr. Partridge,' says she, 'what Mr. Allworthy is that the gentlewoman mentioned? Is it the great Mr. Allworthy of Somersetshire?' 'Upon my word, madam,' says I, 'I know nothing of the matter.''Sure,' says she, 'your master is not the Mr. Jones I have heard Mr. Allworthy talk of?' 'Upon my word, madam,' says I, 'I know nothing of the matter.'-Then,' says she, turning to her daughter Nancy, says she, 'as sure as tenpence this is the very young gentleman, and he agrees exactly with the squire's description.' The Lord above knows who it was told her: for I am the arrantest villain that ever walked upon two legs, if ever it came out of my mouth.-I promise you, sir, I can keep a secret when I am desired.--Nay, sir, so far was I from telling her any thing about Mr. Allworthy, that I told her the very direct contrary; for though I did not contradict it at that moment, yet, as second thoughts, they say, are best; so when I came to consider that somebody must have informed her, thinks I to myself, I will put an end to the story; and so I went back again into the parlour some time afterwards, and says I, upon my word, says I, whoever, says I, told you that this gentleman was Mr. Jones; that is, says I, that this Mr. Jones was that Mr. Jones, told you a confounded lie and I beg, says I, you will never mention any such matter, says I; for my master, says I, will think I must have told you so; and I defy any body in the house ever to say I mentioned any such word. To be certain, sir, it is a wonderful thing, and I have been thinking with myself ever since, how it was she came to know it; not but I saw an old woman here t'other day a begging at the door, who looked as like her we saw in Warwickshire, that caused all that mischief to us. To be sure it is never good to pass by an old woman without giving her something, especially if she looks at you; for all the world shall never persuade me but that they have a great power to do mischief, and to be sure I shall never see an old woman again, but I shall think to myself, Infandum, regina, jubes renovare dolorem." The simplicity of Partridge set Jones a laughing, and put a final end to his anger, which had indeed seldom any long duration in his mind; and instead of commenting on his defence, he told him he intended presently to leave those lodgings, and ordered him to go and endeavour to get him others. CHAPTER IV. WHICH WE HOPE WILL BE VERY ATTENTIVELY PERUSED BY YOUNG PEOPLE OF BOTH SEXES. PARTRIDGE had no sooner left Mr. Jones, than Mr. Nightingale, with whom he had now contracted a great intimacy, came to him, and after a short salutation said, "So, Tom, I hear you had company very late last night. Upon my soul, you are a happy fellow, who have not been in town above a fortnight, and can keep chairs waiting at your door till two in the morning." He then ran on with much common-place raillery of the same kind, till Jones at last interrupted him, saying, "I suppose you have received all this information from Mrs. Miller, who hath been up here a little while ago to give me warning. The good woman is afraid, it seems, of the reputation of her daughters." "O! she is wonderfully nice," says Nightingale, "upon that account; if you remember, she would not let Nancy go with us to the masquerade." "Nay, upon my honour, I think she's in the right of it,' says Jones: "however, I have taken her at her word, and have sent Partridge to look for another lodging." "If you will," says Nightingale, "we may, I believe, be again together; for, to tell you a secret, which I desire you won't mention in the family, I intend to quit the house to-day." "What, hath Mrs. Miller given you warning too, my friend?" cries Jones. "No," answered the other; "but the rooms are not convenient enough. -Besides, I am grown weary of this part of the town. I want to be nearer the places of diversion: so I am going to Pall Mall."-" And do you intend to make a secret of your going away?" said Jones. "I promise you," answered Nightingale, "I don't VOL. II. P P intend to bilk my lodgings; but I have a private reason for not taking a formal leave." "Not so private," answered Jones; "I promise you, I have seen it ever since the second day of my coming to the house. -Here will be some wet eyes on your departure.-Poor Nancy, I pity her, faith!— Indeed, Jack, you have played the fool with that girl.-You have given her a longing, which I am afraid nothing will ever cure her of."-Nightingale answered, "What the devil would you have me do? Would you have me marry her to cure her?"-"No," answered Jones, "I would not have had you make love to her, as you have often done in my presence. I have been astonished at the blindness of her mother in never seeing it." "Pugh, see it!" cries Nightingale. "What the devil should she see?" "Why see," said Jones, "that you have made her daughter distractedly in love with you. The poor girl cannot conceal it a moment, her eyes are never off from you, and she always colours every time you come into the room. Indeed, I pity her heartily; for she seems to be one of the best-natured and honestest of human creatures." "And so," answered Nightingale, "according to your doctrine, one must not amuse one's self by any common gallantries with women, for fear they should fall in love with us." "Indeed, Jack," said Jones, "you wilfully misunderstand me; I do not fancy women are so apt to fall in love; but you have gone far beyond common gallantries.” "What, do you suppose," says Nightingale, "that we have been a-bed together?" "No, upon my honour," answered Jones, very seriously, "I do not suppose so ill of you; nay, I will go farther, I do not imagine you have laid a regular premeditated scheme for the destruction of the quiet of a poor little creature, or have even foreseen the consequence: for I am sure thou art a very good-natured fellow; and such a one can never be guilty of a cruelty of that kind; but at the same time you have pleased your own vanity, without considering that this poor girl was made a sacrifice to it; and while you have had no design but of amusing an idle hour, you have actually given her reason to flatter herself, that you had the most serious designs in her favour. Prithee, Jack, answer me honestly; to what have tended all those elegant and luscious descriptions of happiness arising from violent and mutual fondness? all those warm professions of tenderness, and generous disinterested love? Did you imagine she would not apply them? Or, speak ingenuously, did you not intend she should?" "Upon my soul, Tom," cries Nightingale, "I did not think this was in thee. Thou wilt make an admirable parson.-So, I suppose, you would not go to bed to Nancy now, if she would let you?"-"No," cries Jones, "may I be d-n'd if I would." "Tom, Tom," answered Nightingale, "last night; remember last night— "When ev'ry eye was clos'd, and the pale moon "Look ye, Mr. Nightingale," said Jones, "I am no canting hypocrite, nor do I pretend to the gift of chastity more than my neighbours. I have been guilty with women, I own it; but am not conscious that I have ever injured any.-Nor would I, to procure pleasure to myself, be knowingly the cause of misery to any human being." 'Well, well," said Nightingale, "I believe you, and I am convinced you acquit me of any such thing." "I do, from my heart," answered Jones, "of having debauched the girl, but not from having gained her affections." It "If I have," said Nightingale, "I am sorry for it; but time and absence will soon wear off such impressions. is a receipt I must take myself; for to confess the truth to you, I never liked any girl half so much in my whole life; but I must let you into the whole secret, Tom. My father hath provided a match for me, with a woman I never saw; and she is now coming to town, in order for me to make my addresses to her." At these words Jones burst into a loud fit of laughter; when Nightingale cried,-" Nay, prithee don't turn me into ridicule. The devil take me if I am not half mad about this matter! my poor Nancy! O! Jones, Jones, I wish I had a fortune in my own possession." |