and twenty in. company, to a table furnished like a Lord Mayor's feast.

Previous to our dining, I had the happinefs to enjoy an agreeable tête-à-tête with this best of men. In it, I acquainted him with every circumftance relative to myself, that had paffed fince I faw him laft. And as I had the inexpreffible fatisfaction to find that his friendship was unabated, and he ftill loved me with the fondness of a father, I received that confolation from his advice, which I always experienced from unbofoming myself to this moft difinterefted and fincereft of friends. At three o'clock I retired, and ordered a poft-chaife to purfue my journey; leaving thofe chearful fons of Bacchus, I cannot fay to their nocturnal orgies, for it was one of the fineft mornings I ever beheld, but to conclude their oblations to his divinityfhip. Great geniufes will be excentric-Defying the common rules of common mortals, they will not admit of any restraint from time; but indulge the vivifying inspirations, till wearied nature, unable to keep pace with the intellectual powers, calls for repofe. ---This accounts for the not unfrequented irregularities, with regard to hours, of my friend Quin.

Upon my arrival at Bristol, I found a letter from my maid, wherein fhe informed me that her master was laid up by a violent attack of the gout in his head; that my daugh

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daughter has taken the small pox; and that my mother had indiscreetly suffered the child to lie in her arms, as fhe had before permitted my fon, George Metham, to do, which had occafioned fymptoms that Mr. Adair feemed to think dangerous. This obliged me to remeasure back the road I had just come. My anxiety for my mother, whofe tenderness for my child had induced her to run fuch a risk of her health, fhe not having had that cruel diforder, as already obferved, impelling me to use the utmoft expedition, I ordered two additional horfes to be put to the chaife, and wifhed for wings to haften my journey.

When I again reached Marlborough, which was about two o'clock at noon, I found that Mr. Quin was not yet ftirring. But as I could not, either from my own feelings, or Mr. Calcraft's, whofe impatience I well knew, avoid making the most expeditious return, I would not wait till he got up; but infifting upon his not rifing, I chatted by his bed-fide till the carriage was announced to be ready.

When my companion and myself were feated in the chaife, in the courfe of converfation I found, that though we were both impatient to be in town, that impatience. fprung from very different motives. Whilft I was lamenting the caufe of my fudden recall, Mrs. Walker was pleafing herself with agreeable expectations. Being always above difguife,

disguise, I had made no fecret to her, as fhe had fo long known every transaction of my life, of my having a man of quality as a profeffed admirer, who was both rich and generous. She from thence concluded, that as foon as Mr. Calcraft was dead, I might be induced to form a connection with this nobleman, and thereby have it in my power to be more liberal to her than at present L could be.

She was the more anxious for this event, as fhe imagined I fhould then enable her to retrieve a lofs fhe had fuftained through her indifcretion. After her firft hufband, Mr. Delany's, death, fhe was unkind enough, though poffeffed of the ability, to refufe affiftance to his fifter, who was rather in diftreffed circumftances. Enraged at this,

fifter commenced a fuit of law against her; and as her only furviving child was now dead, and there was no legitimate heir, fhe gained from her an estate, which her husband had left her for a maintenance. By thefe interested views were my companion's thoughts agitated during our return, whilft mine were filled with anxiety.

As I fhall have occafion to mention Walker and his lordship again in the course of my narrative, I fhall add nothing further relative to them here, but purfue my journey to London.

Upon my arrival in town, I had the happinefs to find that the intelligence I had received of my mother's indifpofition was but a falfe alarm. That Mr. Calcraft's gout had only been occafioned by potations ftrong. And that my dear little girl, whom Mr. Adair had attended with unremitted affiduity, was thought by him not to be in fo dangerous a state as was at firft expected.

There is nothing excites the tender paffions fo much as indifpofition. To a fufceptible mind, a friend or relative labouring under difeafe and pain, is doubly endeared by the afflictive vifitation. At least fuch have always been may fenfations. Which induced my dear departed friend, Mifs Conway, to declare, that I fhould make the beft * Beguine that ever attended an hofpital. No wonder then that anxiety took entire poffeffion of my mind, when the angel of death feemed to threaten with his dart the little innocent, whofe happiness my own was fo entwined. with. Mr. Calcraft appeared to have no apprehenfions but for the lofs of beauty in his darling child, from the disfiguring disease.

This, however, was the leaft of my care. To me, a want of attraction in her, feemed rather more defirable. Judging from fad experience, I lamented my own power to please. For though a fenfe of duty enabled me

to

*An order of nuns, who by their rules are obliged to attend the fick.

to behave with the utmost propriety_towards Mr. Calcraft; and an abfence of almoft eighteen months had obliterated all fenfations of tenderness for Mr. Metham; it was with perpetual regret I reflected, that I had ever had any qualifications which could have been the means of my being forced into a connection with a man I never could love.

Cupid has been reprefented by painters, in the attitude of riding upon the most powerful of beafts, and guiding it according to his will. But it never entered into the imagination of thefe depicting fons of science, that Love himfelf was to be rendered fubfervient to any fway.-He rules with as high a hand as the most defpotic fovereign.-And as it is not in the power of mortals to withftand his fhafts, fo neither is it to direct them. -The union of hearts is a prerogative in which he will not bear the leaft controul.I must therefore fland acquitted for not being able to bestow my affection on a man, whose mind the great Uniter of hearts had not fet in unifon with my own. Affection might be counterfeited indeed; and it too often is ; but the deception cannot last long. Nor would I forfeit that fincerity I fo much value myfelf on, to reign the mistress of the world.

May you, my dear, when your appointed hour comes, (for an appointed hour, they fay, there is for love as well as death) find