46

age, with an infant in her arms, her hair flowing loose and wild, and, like Ophelia, Chaunting fnatches of old tunes, "As one incapable of her own diftrefs," came into our court yard, where I was then at play. Though this phoenomenon had all the symptoms of madness in her appearance, the sweetness of her voice and afpect prevented my being terrified, or flying from her. I gazed in filence at her, while fhe caft the most piteous looks, alternately upon her child and me. At length, perceiving that I did not fhun her, the walked up flowly to me, and faid, "fweet innocence, O fave this little life!" She held her infant to me, and dropped upon the ground. I catched the child, and clafped it in my arms, but gave a fcream at the fame inftant-which alarmed the family, and brought my mother and the fervants to the place where I then flood.

"The unhappy mother of my helpless charge was now in ftrong convulfions: fhe was inftantly carried into the house, and every tender care applied for her recovery; but, alas! they came too late. When the convulfions ceased, fhe fell into fainting-fits, and expired the next evening, without having had one interval of reason, fufficient to reply to any question that was asked her.

"The tattered remnants of the cloaths fhe had worn, were of the best materials; her gown was filk, and her linen fine. On fearching her pockets there was a prayer-book found, in a blank leaf of which was written a folemn contract of marriage, but the name of the parties totally erafed; nor was there any trace to be found which could lead to a difcovery of her name, or connections.

"The infant fhe had left, did not appear to be above ten days old, and of course she must have lain in, some where in the neighbourhood. The day after fhe was buried, my mother fent her flew ard to the town of Rofcommon, with orders to enquire at every inn and cottage, where there was a poffibility of her having received fhelter. He found out a little wretched inn, where upon his making inquiry, they told him that about a fortnight before that time, a gentleman had brought a young lady there, in an open chaile, at night; that he did not flay there half an hour, but took the hoftefs afide, when he was going away, and gave her a guinea, telling her he fhould return, and take away the lady, before that fum was fpent, ftrictly charging her not to let her guelt know what November, 1775.

he had faid.-The hoftefs added, that the next day the young lady seemed to expect his coming, every moment, and feemed fo very unhappy at his delay, that the acquainted her with what the gentleman had told her; that upon hearing it, the lady appeared more compofed, though conftantly in tears, and waited with feeming patience, for five days.-That on the fixth day, flie found herself very ill, but would walk out; that fhe went towards the plains, or common, and from that time they had never feen her. The hoftefs farther owned that the believed fhe was with child, and near her time, and that there was a small trunk belonging to the lady, ftill in the house.

"Our fervant purfued his enquiries amongst the cottagers, and at length found out the hut where this unhappy creature had been delivered. The wretched owners of it, immerfed in poverty and ignorance, were utterly incapable of affording her either comfort or convenience: all they could do they did; which was to fhare their ftraw, milk, and potatoes, with her. She had not been ac cuftomed to lye on the damp earth, or feed upon fuch fare. Thefe hardships, therefore, with the defpair of her mind, produced the effect above defcribed. On the ninth day after fhe was brought-tobed, her fenfes left her, and fnatching up her infant in her arms, flie wandered wild about the plains, which are immenfely large, till Providence directed her untaught fteps to my mother's not inhofpitable gate. There was a nurse inmediately provided for my baby, as fhe was called in the family; the was baptized by my own name, Lucy; and I was permitted to fland godmother to my little adoption-to whom my mother added the firname of Warner.

"Though my mother was determined never to give up Lucy into the hands of her inhuman father, she r folved if poffible to find him out, and expof; his villainy to the world. For this purpofe, fhe wrote to every poft-matter through the kingdom of Ireland, defcribing the age, perfon, and figure of the deceased young lady, and defir ng to know if fuch a perfon was mithing in their feveral difricts In procefs of time the received a letter from the poft matter of Lurgan, in the North, acquainting her that about five or fix weeks before the date of her letter, a gentleman who lived in that town, of the name of Stewardfon, had taken a young lady from thence, who was an orphan, and his own ward, to carry her to Dublin, in order, as he faid,

to complete her education; that he returned home without her, in about ten days; and that upon fome of her friends making enquiry where the might be found, and expreffing an anxiety at not hearing from her, Mr. Stewardfon had disappear ed, and had not fince been heard of. That the young lady could not be found in Dublin, though the had been advertifed in the news-papers, and the ftricteft fearch made after her.-That her friends had endeavoured to trace them from their first fetting out from Lurgan, and had difcovered that they travelled quite acrofs the country, but could not by any means tind out in what part of the world Mr. Stewardfon had left her, as he had fent back his fervant when he was about twenty miles on his road. He added, that the defcription my mother had given of the young lady, exactly refembled her who was miffing, and that all their friends fuppofed there was a strong attachment between him and his ward, and that he meant to marry her as foon as the came of age. From that hour to this we have never heard of the worthlefs wretch, Mifs Warner's father; nor has he, I believe, ever returned to his country.

I have now, Sir, continued Mrs. Taylor, accounted to you for the peculiar kind of connection between my Lucy and me: I have only to add, that my mother bequeathed to her a thoufand pounds, and that with Mr. Taylor's permiffion, I prefented her with five hundred pounds more before my marriage; that he is perfectly good and amiable, and were the my own daughter, I think I could not love her better than I do."

Here ended my fair narrator, and here alfo will I conclude, Mr. Editor, as I think the story admits not of any comment; for if thofe whom it is meant to ferve, do not deduce a proper warning trom it, "Neither would they be perfuaded, though one rofe from the dead." The Succeffal Trial. "A Moral Tale. THERE are, certainly, too many

men

ference to every other woman, before fhe confents to be united to him by the molt binding ties. Various are the methods which have been adopted by women in fuch fituations, in order to be allured that the lips of their lovers were not at variance with their hearts, while they poured out their tender declarations to them: the ftratagem to which the heroine of the following tale had recourse for the removal of her doubts, fucceeded agreeably to her defires.

By the fudden death of an uncle (she had no parents at that time) from whom the expected no great legacy, though he had often faid that he would leave her fomething handfome in his will, Jenny Jones, a young woman of a good family, but with an income barely fufficient to maintain her with decency in the cheapest part of Wales, came into the poffeflion or a confiderable fortune. In confequence of that unexpected acquifition, she gave herfelf no unbecoming airs; fhe was as humble, as aftable, as polite-yespeople may be polite though they are poor-as if he had not received the fmallest addition to her little annuity. By this uncommon behaviour fhe fixed the reputation fhe had before acquired by her exemplary conduct upon a broader bafis, as all who knew her, were now forcibly convinced, by the manner in which the bore her profperity, that her head was not deranged by it: that her wealth would prove a bleffing to her. To how many is it rather a curfe than a blesting!

By the whole courfe of her hehaviour in her new fphere of life, a sphere in which she made a brilliant but not a fantaftical figure, the gave fatisfaction to all, except those whose bosoms corroded with envy, would not permit them to fee her thining in their fight with a fuperior luftre. By thofe ine was not only envied, the was vilified. Their afperfions, it is true, were as falfe as they were injurious; but who can be quite at ease when their characters are butchered? To

defervedly calumniated, is to be divetted of feeling; but the surest way to render the lies of detraction harmless is to live them down,

When a woman, in a private condition, is known to have a large fortune bequeathed to her, she will not be long without a numerous train of admirers, and lovers by profeffion; that is, men who care not a pin for the perfon of her whom they purfue, but who pay their whole attention fecretly to her purfe.

Such

Such men are, at all times, the most liberal of their amorous effufions, and will talk of Cupid's darts, bleeding hearts, &c. as familiarly as "maids of thirteen do of puppy dogs :" and fuch men are to be kept at a proper dittance, for their vows are no more to be depended upon than the oaths of a plumper at the Old Bailey, or the promises of a patriot while he is canvaffing for a feat in the house. Among the croud of fighing fwains (very different from thofe who piped upon rural plains in the age of innocence) by whom Mifs Jones was continually furrounded upon her elevation, there were feveral who had titles as well as eftates to recommend them to her notice: yet as he was determined never to declare herfelf ready to obey the man whom the could not honour, whom the could not love, the rejected all their overtures. Her refufals were delivered in the politeft expreffions; but fome of those whom fhe difcarded were highly offended at her treatment of them, having vanity and pride enough to fuppofe that their offers to any woman in the kingdom were of the complimental kind, and merited her acceptance. Animated by thofe two paffions (which by the bye do an infinite deal of mifchief in the world) they were extremely affronted: " they did not know what the girl meant by turning up her nofe at them."

The fair fex have been too feverely condemned by many fatirical writers, for their aptitude to conceive affronts where none were intended, and to be too brifk in the discovery of their refentment; but there are fituations in which a woman must be as blind as a beetle if fhe does not fee herself affronted, and as dull as a poft if fhe does not fhow refentment.

By many of her difcarded lovers Mifs Jones's firm behaviour was remembered with pain; by fome it was keenly refented. One of them was particularly irritated by her decifive anfwer to his matrimonial propofals, and it was of fo pungent a nature, that he could not help abufing her to her face; and as he was one of those country gentlemen who will ever remain in a ftate of barbarous rutticity, his language proved him to be much better qualified to converfe in the ftable than in the drawing-room.

will make you a better settlement for the money you bring; if he does he will be a d--d fool for his pains, I can tell him that I am fure I have acted fair and above-board, Mifs, and therefore you treat me in a scurvy manner, let me tell you; and I fhan't forget this ufage, I affure you."

"You never heard me find the leaft fault with your propofals, Sir, replied Mifs Jones, in the mildeft accents, they are certainly very fair ones; but I cannot bring myfelf to clofe with them for many reasons."

"You don't like the man they come from, I fuppofe? anfwered he, with a broad fneering grin-You can't away with me for a husband ?-My perfon does not pleafe you

66

"I fay nothing againft your perfon, Sir."

"No: but you look as if you did: I know fat enough what you think of me; therefore you may as well speak out, and not mince the matter. In short, you cannot bear the fight of me, because I do not drefs like your Jeffamys, and make a monkey of myself; that I will never do for the belt fhe in the kingdom: no, no, Roger Ringwood will never make himfelf look like a Macaron for any woman upon the face of the earth: he will fee the whole fex at Jericho firft. And fo, Mifs, fince you are fo curfed nice that you can't relish a plain country gentleman, who will not drefs to be a puppy, I fhall never darken your doors again.”

With this polite and elegant fpeech, the choleric 'fquire talked out of the room, and left Mifs Jones not a little wondering at the extreme rudeness of his behaviour to her; for though the `never had been able to endure his manners, which were, indeed, far more offenfive than his perfon, yet as he had behaved with tolerable decorum during his rough courtship, the did not expect quite fo much brutality upon her giving him a final difcharge in the character of a lover. As foon as her favage was gone, fhe faid, turning to a young lady, whom fhe had invited to ftay with her a few weeks, "I dare fay, my dear Nancy, that Mr. Clifton would not have behaved in this manner had he been in Mr. Ringwood's fituation."

No, madam, replied Mifs Meredith, I am pretty fure he would have behaved with the greatest politeness, however con.erned he might have been to find himself unable to gain your affections. But he will never, I imagine, Pppp 2

ti

throw himself in the way of such a disappointment; for though he has, I am convinced, the highest efteem, the tendereft regard for you, and would think himself the happiett of men with fo amiable a wife, he has too much spirit to marry any woman breathing merely for her fortune; and I really believe that he would have placed himself in the first rank of your lovers, had he not been apprehenfive of your fufpecting him to be governed by motives of the meaneft kind."

The gentleman of whom Mifs Meredith fpoke in this way to her friend, was a first coufin of her's; and as he had frequently opened his heart to her about Mifs Jones, fhe was fufficiently authorized to make the above mentioned fpeech relating to him.

Clifton was a young fellow of a very good family, and had genteel connections, but having only a fmall patrimonial eftate, he was obliged to live upon it with great frugality, in order to make a, tolerable appearance. With a striking perfon, he had alfo a pleafing way of prefenting himfelf, efpecially to the fair fex; it is, therefore, highly pro bable, that he might have picked up more Hibernico, a woman of fortune, if he had merely confulted his intereft: but not being able to endure the thoughts of improving his circumftances by matrimony, without feeling his heart attach ed to the woman whofe fortune merited his attention, he remained fingte; nor was he prompted to change his fituation till he fell into company, in a fummer's tour, with Mifs Jones, at one of the numerous watering-places fcattered over the kingdom. From that day he felt a growing paffion for her, but fuppreffed it, partly from pride, and partly from a confcioufnefs of his inferiority, till his coufin informed him, by a letter, that Mifs Jones had dropped feveral expreffions very much in his favour. Animated by this information, he requested his coufin to do all in her power to raise him in her friend's opinion; and fhe, agreeable to his defires, exerted herself in the moft friendly and forcible manner on his account. But to return to Mifs Jones. She told Nancy in anfwer, that she was very ready to believe Mr. Clifton a difinterefted man, adding, that "fhe did not know one of his fex who would make a better husband."

Thefe words gave great pleasure to Nancy's ears, but flie was more fatisfied with the language of her friend's eyes while the fpoke them, than with the

words themfelves; and accordingly acquainted her coufin with the conversation in which he was fo materially concerned. Clifton, the moment he read Nancy's letter, hurried from his little farm, on the pretence of calling upon her on fome particular bufinefs, and came to Mifs Jones's antient caftle, full of pleasing and painful emotions; occafioned by the fluctuations which fear and hope, alternately predominating, occafioned in his mind.

On his appearance at the caftle to pay his compliments to Mifs Meredith, he was received by her with open arms, and with looks which gave him the greatest encouragement: looks which created a thoufand thoughts not to be expressed. By Mifs Jones he was received with the moft flattering marks of civility, and upon his taking leave of her in the evening, to retire to the apartment which he had fecured at the nearest town, was strongly invited to dine with her the next day; and to spend as much time as he could fpare, during his ftay in that part of the country, at her house.

Clifton, charmed with Mifs Jones's frank, cordial, and generous behaviour, availed himfelf of it; and in a few days ventured, upon the ftrength of Nancy's repeated affurances, added to his own corroborating obfervations, to disclose a paffion, the confinement of which began to grow extremely troublesome to him. His difclofures, however, were not made with that firmness of utterance, by which the pretended lover is generally diftinguished from the real one it was not without much hesitation, and many paufes, that he unbofomed himself.

With a franknefs which proved her to be above all false delicacy, Mifs Jones informed her timid lover, that the had, for fome time, felt prepoffeffions greatly in his favour, and that the rather thought herself flattered than affronted by the addresses of a man of his merit.

Before he could return the answer which he wished to articulate, an answer, dictated at once by gratitude and love, he was very unexpectedly, and in his opinion very unfeafonably interrupted. By the abruptnefs of his entrance the intruder furprized him, by the uncouthness of his appearance difgufted his eyes, and by the rufticity of his carriage exceedingly fhocked him. This perfonage was the 'Squire, whofe difmiffion has been already related.

Mr. Ringwood, ftriding into the room with his usual aukwardness, accolted Mifs Jones in the following file:

Well

"Well, Mifs, I am come once more about the old affair, though you did not treat me like a gentleman and a juftice, when I was here laft. Howfumever, as our eftates lie fo near one another, I will stretch a point, for the fake of having them fnug under my own care, and tols in another hundred towards your fettlement."

To this new addrefs Mifs Jones made a very proper reply, and a very polite one too; but the 'fquire, for want of comprehenfion, mifconftrued it egregioufly, and attacked Mr. Clifton with fo marvellous a lack of good breeding, that he did not know how to digeft his cavalier language. At first, out of refpect to the lady, he only laughed at the brutality of his behaviour; but finding that he grew more fcurrilous in his expreffions, he plainly told him, in a peremptory tone, that he expected from him the next morning, the fatisfaction of a gentleman, either with fword or piftol.

This fpirited fpeech fully answered the defign with which it was delivered.— Ringwood, though a keen sportsman, loft all his ferocity in a moment,and fole away without uttering a fyllable, till he got out of the castle, and then he gave a vent to his resentment against the owner of it, and against the man whom he confidered as his rival, and a fuccessful one.

"D-n the fellow!I can't think, for the blood of me, what the devil the can fee in his fmock face to prefer him to me. -A fighting dog too!Howfumever, if he marries her, I may find a way to plague him; and I'll make him know that I am not one of the quorum för nothing; no, no, Roger Ringwood will make every man who flies in his face, know that he will not be bullied while there is an inch of law in the land."

In this way did the furious fox-hunter and juftice (when he was by himself) rave againft his formidable rival, who became more and more agreeable to the miftrefs of his heart, and a day was foon fixed for their union.

In the midst of her preparations for her wedding, Mifs Jones, whilst the was chatting one morning with her friend, about cloaths, &c. and other feminine matters, flopped fhort, and then faid to her, "You will think me an odd girl, Nancy; but I am feized with a ftrange defire to put your cousin's affection to the teft, before I give myself up to him for ever."

Nancy, laying down the work fhe had in her hand, and looking earnestly in her face, replied, "What do you mean, my dear you have feveral times told

"You have not the leat reason, faid Nancy, to suspect his fincerity; and if I were in your fituation, I should want no additional proofs of it. However, as you feem to have got a scheme in your head to procure a more fatisfactory one, pray let me hear it."

If you promife not to acquaint your coufin with my intentions, I will tell you in what manner I am going to act for the fatisfaction of my curiofity."

"You double my impatience, and. may depend upon my fecrecy

Mifs Jones then alluring her friend that the knew he could depend on her upon every occafion, communicated her delga to her.

Clifton, while this converfation wa. carried on between Mifs Jones and M Meredith concerning him, was out upon a ride. Having met with a very agreeable adventure during his excurfion, he came home in high fpirits, and hattened immediately in search of his amiable miftrefs, in order to entertain her with a relation of the occurrence which had afforded him so much pleafure. He found her in the apartment in which he had left her a few hours before, but in a very different fituation; he found her in a diftrefful attitude, holding her handkerchief to her eyes, weeping.

Struck at the fight of her in fo moving a condition, he ran up to her; and, with the greatest eagerness, intreated her to tell him what had happened, in his abfence, to plunge her into fo afflicted a ftate. She fighed, the fobbed; the was filent.

He then threw himself upon his knees before her, and, in that fupplicating pofture, implored her to relieve him from the rack of fufpence

Still he was filent; but drawing out of her pocket a letter with one of her hands, prefented it to him, while the concealed her face from him with the other.

By the contents of this letter, he was made to believe that she had, by the iniquity of one of her stewards, loft a very confiderable part of her fortune. This discovery, as it had apparently given his mittrefs fo much concern, was very painful to him; but it did not render him the lefs defirous of the clofeft connexion with her. He adminiftered immediately all

the