"WHEREAS George Anne Bellamy, my "houfe-keeper, informs me, that he has con"tracted fome debts which she is anxious to pay; "and as she is offered an engagement at Covent"Garden theatre; I grant her my leave to per"form at the faid theatre, upon this condition. only, that the appropriates her whole falary for "the use of her creditors.

The next day, my engagement at Covent-Garden theatre was publicly announced in the papers, together with my intended appearance, the Friday following, in the character of Cleone.

I had now obtained the fummit of my present hopes; and as I know your feelings are fet in unifon with my own, I dare fay you will enjoy with me this momentary refpite of mine from trouble-A momentary refpite I call it-For as Eloifa fays, upon reading Abelard's Letters,

"Whene'er thy name I find,

"Some fure misfortune follows close behind ;"

fo, with me, fresh troubles tread upon the heels of a relaxation from pain; as the hurricanes in the Weft-Indies, and other countries fubject to them, are furely preceded by a dead calm.

LETTER LXXXI.

Sept. 20, 17

INOW imagined my perfon to be fecure, and

that all my affairs were fettled, except that of my obdurate female creditor; and even her I had now no apprehenfions from, as I concluded the would take the yearly fum fhe had agreed to do, rather than attempt breaking through the laws of nations by attacking a perfon, who was actually the known domeftic of a foreign minifter: and as I was certain that I should be able to pay her the ftipulated fum, from the produce of my benefit, as it was not due till the April following, I fet my heart at reft upon that score. I was likewife perfectly happy, that, notwithstanding my fudden decampment in the middle of the feafon, I had nothing to apprehend from the lofs of the public favour; as, the very morning the play I was to appear in was advertised, every place in the house

was taken.

But, to my very great morrification, I found the tranquillity, which I had affumed, to be fallacious; and the ferene prospect, that seemed to prefeut itfelf, as unfubftantial as the bafelefs fabric of a dream. The house-keeper who lived with me

during

during my abode in Jermyn-ftreet, and in whom I had wholly confided, had appropriated the money allowed for the expences of the houfe to her own ufe; and, by bringing me in falfe vouchers, made me believe every thing was paid for; by which means I found myfelf two hundred pounds more in debt than I thought for. With the money thus fraudulently obtained, she had purchased herfelf a husband, whom the accompanied to Switzerland, his native country.

This occafioned me many unwelcome vifitors, and obliged me to be troublesome once more to my good friend Mr. Hearne, who lent me the money, and I discharged all their bills. I now concluded I was exonerated from all claims that could be made upon me, but I was still deceived. Upon the renewal of my letter of licence, I had fent it to Mr. Deard, to whom I owed about feventeen pounds, for him to fign. I did this as a mere matter of form; for, as I had expended large fums with his father as well as himself, I had no apprehenfions about fuch a trifle.

But, instead of figning it, Mr. Deard fent me word he would call upon me. This he did on the morning of the day I was once more to exhibit myself to the public. He was informed that I was engaged, and could not fee him; But as he was very preffing, and had formerly F 5 been

been very obliging in lending me diamonds, I naturally imagined his business was fomething of the fame purport. No words, however, can express my fright and astonishment, when he informed me, that he had a demand upon me for one hundred and odd pounds, for a pair of earrings he had lent me, and which he told me had been pledged at Mr. Watson's, in Princes-street, Leicester-fields.

Had the fnakey head of Medusa been prefented to my view, I could not have been more petrified than I was at receiving this information. The pair of ear-rings had been lent me before I left London; and when I had no longer any occafion for them, I returned them by a perfon I thought I could entrust; but I now found fhe had been dishonest enough to pawn them. Mr. Deard told me, that he was fenfible I knew nothing of the affair; but that did not exonerate me from being accountable for them. Had I returned them myself, as I certainly ought to have done, it would have prevented this difagreeable tranfaction.

What made this circumftance the more fingular was, that I had fent the letter of licence, when it was first drawn, to Mr. Deard, and he had figned it for the fum before-mentioned. The unhappy wretch, who committed this breach of truft, was

in

in poffeffion of a fortune at the time she did it, and had paid the debt of nature only a few months before I was made acquainted with her dishonesty. She had before borrowed a watch of mine, fet with diamonds, which the had alfo pledged; but, in compaffion to her youth and family, I did not proceed to extremities.

There was no refource now left, but to pay the money. For this purpose I fent once more to Mr. Hearne. That worthy man came immediately, and fettled the affair; but not without reproaching Mr. Deard, in the fevereft terms, for deferring to inform me of this untoward transaction till the day appointed for my appearance, which he well knew muft be a very improper time to difcompofe my mind. He told him, as my being in Scotland was no fecret, he ought to have wrote to me there, that I might have had the earliest information poffible of an affair which fo nearly concerned me. As Mr. Hearne had formerly paid his father and him large fums of money upon my account, this reprehenfion came with double efficacy from his lips.

Mr. Deard apologized for the omiffion, by alledging, that, as he knew me to be quite innocent of the affair, he feared the knowledge of it would have affected me too much at fuch a distance; and, as he knew my principle, he had not entertained

F 6