all the thanks which would have been due, even had the favour been obtained. This art of promising, is the economy of a great man's pride, a sort of good husbandry in conferring favours, by which they receive ten-fold in acknowledgments for every obligation;-I mean among those who really intend the service; for there are others who cheat poor men of their thanks without ever designing to deserve them at all. This matter being sufficiently discussed, the conversation took a gayer turn; and my lord began to entertain the ladies with some of that elegant discourse which, though most delightful to hear, it is impossible should ever be read. His lordship was so highly pleased with Amelia, that he could not help being somewhat particular to her; but this particularity distinguished itself only in a higher degree of respect, and was so very polite, and so very distant, that she herself was pleased; and at his departure, which was not till he had far exceeded the length of a common visit, declared he was the finest gen tleman she had ever seen, with which sentiment her husband and Mrs Ellison both entirely concurred. Mrs Bennet, on the contrary, expressed some little dislike to my lord's complaisance, which she called excessive. "For my own part," said she, "I have not the least relish for those very fine gentlemen; what the world generally calls politeness, I term insincerity; and I am more charmed with the stories which Mrs Booth told us of the honest serjeant, than with all that the finest gentlemen in the world ever said in their lives." "O to be sure," cries Mrs Ellison, "All for love, or the world well lost, is a motto very proper for some folks to wear in their coats of arms; but the generality of the world will, I believe, agree with that lady's opinion of my cousin, rather than with Mrs Bennet." Mrs Bennet, seeing Mrs Ellison took offence at what she said, thought proper to make some apology, which was very readily accepted, and so ended the visit. We cannot, however, put an end to the chapter without observing, that such is the ambitious temper of beauty, that it may always apply to itself that celebrated passage in Lucan, Nec quenquam jam ferre potest Cæsar ve priorem, Pompeiusve parem. Indeed I believe it may be laid down as a general rule, that no woman who hath any great pretensions to admiration, is ever well pleased in a company, where she perceives herself to fill only the second place. This observation, however, humbly submit to the judgment of the ladies, and hope it will be considered as retracted by me, if they shall dissent from my opinion. VOL. I. I CHAP. IV. Containing matters that require no preface. WHEN Booth and his wife were left alone together, they both extremely exulted in their good fortune in having found so good a friend as his lordship; nor were they wanting in very warm expressions of their gratitude towards Mrs Ellison. After which they began to lay down schemes of living, when Booth should have his commission of captain, and, after the exactest computation, concluded, that with economy, they should be able to save at least fifty pounds a-year out of their income, in order to pay their debts. These matters being well settled, Amelia asked Booth what he thought of Mrs Bennet. "I think, my dear," answered Booth, " that she hath been formerly a very pretty woman."-"I am mistaken," replied Amelia, "if she be not a very good creature. I don't know I ever took such a liking to any one, on so short an acquaintance. I fancy she hath been a very sprightly woman for, if you observe, she discovers by starts a great vivacity in her countenance."-"I made the same observation," cries Booth; sure some strange accident hath befallen her."- -"A misfortune indeed!" answered Amelia. "Sure, child, you forgot what Mrs Ellison told us, that she had lost a beloved husband. A misfortune which I have often wondered at any woman's surviving." At which words, she cast a tender look at Booth, and presently afterwards throwing herself upon his neck, cried, " O Heavens ! what a happy creature am I! When I consider the dangers you have gone through, how I exult in my bliss!" The good-natured reader will suppose that Booth was not deficient in returning such tenderness; after which, the conversation became too fond to be here related. The next morning Mrs Ellison addressed herself to Booth as follows; "I shall make no apology, sir, for what I am going to say, as it proceeds from my friendship to yourself and your dear lady. I am convinced then, sir, there is something more than accident in your going abroad only one day in the week. Now, sir, if, as I am afraid, matters are not altogether as well as I wish them, I beg, since I do not believe you are provided with a lawyer, that you will suffer me to recommend one to you. The person I shall mention is, I assure you, of much ability in his profession, and I have known him do great services to gentlemen under a cloud. Do not be ashamed of your circumstances, my dear friend; they are a much greater scandal to those who have left so much merit unprovided for.” Booth gave Mrs Ellison abundance of thanks for her kindness, and explicitly confessed to her, 20 that her conjectures were right, and, without hesitation, accepted the offer of her friend's assistance. Mrs Ellison then acquainted him with her apprehensions on this account. She said she had both yesterday and this morning seen two or three very ugly suspicious fellows pass several times by her window. "Upon all accounts," said she, "my dear sir, I advise you to keep yourself close confined till the lawyer hath been with you. I am sure he will get you your liberty, at least of walking about within the verge. There's something to be done with the board of green cloth-I don't know what; but this I know, that several gentlemen have lived here a long time very comfortably, and have defied all the vengeance of their creditors. However, in the mean time, you must be a close prisoner with your lady; and I believe there is no man in England but would exchange his liberty for the same gaol." She then departed, in order to send for the attorney, and presently afterwards the serjeant arrived with news of the like kind. He said he had scraped an acquaintance with Murphy. "I hope your honour will pardon me," cries Atkinson; "but I pretended to have a small demand upon your honour myself, and offered to employ him in the business; upon which he told me, that if I would go with him to the Marshal's Court, and make affidavit of my debt, he should be able very shortly to get it me; "for I shall have the Captain in hold," cries he, " within a day or two.' "I wish," said the serjeant, "I could do your honour any service. Shall I walk about all day before the door? or shall I be porter, and watch it in the inside, till your honour can find some means of securing yourself? I hope you will not be offended at me, but I beg you would take care of falling into Murphy's hands, for he hath the character of the greatest villain upon earth. I am afraid you will think me too bold, sir ; but I have a little money, if it can be of any service, do, pray your honour, command it. It can never do me so much good any other way. Consider, sir, I owe all I have to yourself, and my dear mistress." Booth stood a moment as if he had been thunderstruck, and then the tears bursting from his eyes, he said, "Upon my soul, Atkinson, you overcome me. I scarce ever heard of so much goodness, nor do I know how to express my sentiments of it; but be assured, as for your money, I will not accept it; and let it satisfy you, that in my present circumstances it would do me no essential service; but this be assured of likewise, that whilst I live I shall never forget the kind ness of the offer. However, as I apprehend I may be in some danger of fellows getting into the house, for a day or two, as I have no guard but a poor little girl, I will not refuse the goodness you offer to shew in my protection; and I make no doubt but Mrs Ellison will let you sit in her parlour for that purpose.' Atkinson, with the utmost readiness, undertook the office of porter, and Mrs Ellison as readily allotted him a place in her back-parlour, where he continued three days together, from eight in the morning till twelve at night; during which time he had sometimes the company of Mrs Ellison, and sometimes of Booth, Amelia, and Mrs Bennet too; for this last had taken as great a fancy to Amelia as Amelia had to her; and therefore, as Mr Booth's affairs were now no secret in the neighbourhood, made her frequent visits during the confinement of her husband, and consequently of her own. Nothing, as I remember, happened in this interval of time more worthy noticing than the following card which Amelia received from her old acquaintance Mrs James. "Mrs James sends her compliments to Mrs Booth, and desires to know how she does; for as she hath not had the favour of seeing her at her own house, or of meeting her in any public place in so long a time, fears it may be owing to ill health." Amelia had long given over all thoughts of her friend, and doubted not but that she was as entirely given over by her; she was very much surprised at this message, and under some doubt whether it was not meant as an insult, especially from the mention of public places, which she thought so inconsistent with her present circumstances, of which she supposed Mrs James was well apprised. However, at the entreaty of her husband, who languished for nothing more than to be again reconciled to his friend James, Amelia undertook to pay the lady a visit, and to examine into the mystery of this conduct, which appeared to her so unaccountable. Mrs James received her with a degree of civility that amazed Amelia no less than her coldness had done before. She resolved to come to an eclaircissement, and having sat out some company that came in, when they were alone together, Amelia, after some silence, and many offers to speak, at last said, " My dear Jenny, (if you will now suffer me to call you by so familiar a name,) have you entirely forgot a certain young lady who had the pleasure of being your intimate acquaintance at Montpelier?""Whom do you mean, dear madam ?” cried Mrs James, with great concern.-" I mean myself," answered Amelia.-" You surprise me, madam," replied Mrs James. "How can you ask me that question ?"-" Nay, my dear, I do not intend to offend you," cries Amelia; "but I am really desirous to solve to myself the reason of that coldness which you shewed me, when you did me the favour of a visit. Can you think, my dear, I was not disappointed, when I expected to meet an intimate friend, to receive a cold, formal visitant? I desire you to examine your own heart, and answer me honestly, if you do not think I had some little reason to be dissatisfied with your behaviour?"-" Indeed, Mrs Booth," answered the other lady, "you surprise CHAP. V. Containing much heroic matter. Ar the end of three days Mrs Ellison's friend had so far purchased Mr Booth's liberty, that he could walk again abroad within the verge, without any danger of having a warrant backed against him by the board before he had notice. As for the ill-looked persons that had given the alarm, it was now discovered that another unhappy gentleman, and not Mr Booth, was the object of their pursuit. Mr Booth being now delivered from his fears, went, as he had formerly done, to take his morning walk in the Park. Here he met Colonel Bath, in company with some other officers, and very civilly paid his respects to him; but instead of returning the salute, the Colonel looked him full in the face, with a very stern countenance; and, if he could be said to take any notice of him, it was in such a manner as to inform him he would take no notice of him. me very much; if there was any thing displeasing to you in my behaviour, I am extremely concerned at it. I did not know I had been defective in any of the rules of civility; but if I was, madam, I ask your pardon."-" Is civility, then, my dear,' replied Amelia, "a synonimous term with friendship? Could I have expected, when I parted the last time with Miss Jenny Bath, to have met her the next time in the shape of a fine lady, complaining of the hardship of climbing up two pair of stairs to visit me, and then approaching me with the distant air of a new or a slight acquaintance? Do you think, my dear Mrs James, if the tables had been turned, if my fortune had been as high in the world as yours, and you in my distressed and abject condition, that I would not have climbed as high as the monument to visit you?"—"Sure, madam," cries Mrs James, "I mistake you, or you have greatly mistaken me. Can you complain of my not visiting you, who have owed me a visit almost this three weeks? Nay, did I not even then send you a card, which sure was doing more than all the friendship and good breeding of the world required? but, indeed, as I had met you in no public place, I really thought you was ill."- Booth was not more hurt than surprised at "How can you mention public places to me," this behaviour, and resolved to know the reason said Amelia," when you can hardly be a stranger of it. He therefore watched an opportunity till to my present situation? Did you not know, ma- the Colonel was alone, and then walked boldly dam, that I was ruined?"-" No, indeed, ma- up to him, and desired to know if he had given dam, did I not," replied Mrs James; "I am him any offence. The Colonel answered hastily, sure I should have been highly concerned if I "Sir, I am above being offended with you, nor had."-" Why, sure my dear," cries Amelia, do I think it consistent with my dignity to make "you could not imagine that we were in affluent you any answer."-Booth replied, "I don't know, circumstances, when you found us in such a sir, that I have done any thing to deserve this place, and in such a condition."-" Nay, my treatment."-" Look'ee, sir," cries the Colonel, dear," answered Mrs James," since you are "if I had not formerly had some respect for pleased to mention it first yourself, I own I was you, I should not think you worth my resenta little surprised to see you in no better lodgings; ment. However, as you are a gentleman born, but I concluded you had your own reasons for and an officer, and as I have had an esteem for liking them; and, for my own part, I have laid you, I will give you some marks of it, by putit down as a positive rule, never to enquire into ting it in your power to do yourself justice. I the private affairs of any one, especially of my will tell you, therefore, sir, that you have acted friends. I am not of the humour of some ladies, like a scoundrel."-"If we were not in the Park," who confine the circle of their acquaintance to answered Booth warmly, "I would thank you one part of the town, and would not be known properly for that compliment."-" O sir !" cries to visit in the city for the world. For my part, the Colonel," we can soon be in a convenient I never dropt an acquaintance with any one, place." Upon which Booth answered he would while it was reputable to keep it up; and I can attend him wherever he pleased. The Colonel solemnly declare, I have not a friend in the world then bid him come along, and then strutted forfor whom I have a greater esteem than I have for ward directly up Constitution-hill to Hyde-park, Mrs Booth." Booth following him at first, and afterwards walking before him, till they came to that place which may be properly called the field of blood; being that part a little to the left of the ring, which heroes have chosen for the scene of their exit out of this world. At this instant the arrival of a new visitant put an end to the discourse, and Amelia soon after took her leave without the least anger, but with some little unavoidable contempt for a lady, in whose opinion, as we have hinted before, outward form and ceremony constituted the whole essence of friendship; who valued all her acquaintance alike,-as each individual served equally to fill up a place in her visiting-roll, and who, in reality, had not the least concern for the good qualities or well-being of any of them. Booth reached the ring some time before the Colonel; for he mended not his pace any more than a Spaniard. To say truth, I believe it was not in his power; for he had so long accustomed himself to one and the same strut, that as a horse, used always to trotting, can scarce be for ced into a gallop, so could no passion force the Colonel to alter his pace. At length, however, both parties arrived at the lists, where the Colonel very deliberately took off his wig and coat, and laid them on the grass, and then drawing his sword, advanced to Booth, who had likewise his drawn weapon in his hand, but had made no other preparation for the combat. The combatants now engaged with great fury, and, after two or three passes, Booth ran the Colonel through the body, and threw him on the ground, at the same time possessing himself of the Colonel's sword. As soon as the Colonel was become master of his speech, he called out to Booth in a very kind voice, and said, "You have done my business, and satisfied me that you are a man of honour, and that my brother James must have been mistaken: for I am convinced that no man who will draw his sword in so gallant a manner, is capable of being a rascal. D-n me, give me a buss, my dear boy; I ask your pardon for that infamous appellation I dishonoured your dignity with; but d-n me if it was not purely out of love, and to give you an opportunity of doing yourself justice, which I own you have done like a man of honour. What may be the consequence I know not, but I hope, at least, I shall live to reconcile you with my brother." Booth shewed great concern, and even horror in his countenance. " Why, my dear Colonel," said he, "would you force me to this? for Heaven's sake tell me what I have ever done to of fend you." "Me!" cried the Colonel; "indeed, my dear child, you never did any thing to offend me. Nay, I have acted the part of a friend to you in the whole affair. I maintained your cause with my brother as long as decency would permit. I could not flatly contradict him, though, indeed, I scarce believed him. But what could I do? if I had not fought with you, I must have been obliged to have fought with him. However, I hope what is done will be sufficient, and that matters may be discommodated without your being put to the necessity of fighting any more on this occasion." "Never regard me," cried Booth eagerly; "for Heaven's sake think of your own preservation. Let me put you into a chair, and get you a surgeon." "Thou art a noble lad," cries the Colonel, who was now got on his legs, " and I am glad the business is so well over. For though your sword went quite through, it slanted so, that I apprehend there is little danger of life. However, I think there is enough done to put an honourable end to the affair, especially as you was so hasty to disarm me. I bleed a little, but I can walk to the house by the water; and if you will send me a chair thither, I shall be obliged to you." As the Colonel refused any assistance, (indeed he was very able to walk without it, though with somewhat less dignity than usual,) Booth set forward to Grosvenor-Gate, in order to procure the chair, and soon after returned with one to his friend; whom having conveyed into it, he attended himself on foot into Bond-street, where then lived a very eminent surgeon. The surgeon having probed the wound, turned towards Booth, who was apparently the guilty person, and said with a smile, "Upon my word, sir, you have performed the business with great dexterity." Sir," cries the Colonel to the surgeon, "I would not have you imagine I am afraid to die. I think I know more what belongs to the dignity of a man; and, I believe, I have shewn it at the head of a line of battle. Do not impute my concern to that fear, when I ask you whether there is, or is not, any danger?" "Really, Colonel," answered the surgeon, who well knew the complexion of the gentleman then under his hands," it would appear like presumption, to say that a man who hath been just run through the body, is in no manner of danger. But this, I think, I may assure you, that yet perceive no very bad symptoms; and unless something worse should appear, or a fever be the consequence, I hope you may live to be again, with all your dignity, at the head of a line of battle." "I am glad to hear that is your opinion," quoth the Colonel," for I am not desirous of dying, though I am not afraid of it. But if any thing worse than you apprehend should happen, I desire you will be a witness of my declaration, that this young gentleman is entirely innocent. I forced him to do what he did.-My dear Booth, I am pleased matters are as they are. You are the first man that ever gained an advantage over me; but it was very lucky for you that you disarmed me, and I doubt not but you have the equanimity to think so. If the business, therefore, hath ended without doing any thing to the purpose, it was Fortune's pleasure, and neither of our faults." Booth heartily embraced the Colonel, and assured him of the great satisfaction he had received from the surgeon's opinion; and soon after the two combatants took their leave of each other. The Colonel, after he was dressed, went in a chair to his lodgings, and Booth walked on foot to his, where he luckily arrived, without meeting with any of Mr Murphy's gang; a danger which never once occurred to his imagination till he was out of it. The affair he had been about, had indeed so entirely occupied his mind, that it had obliterated every other idea; among the rest, it caused him so absolutely to forget the time of the day, that though he had exceeded the time of dining above two hours, he had not the least suspicion of being at home later than usual. CHAP. VI. at last perceived her to be so uneasy, that as he saw no hopes of contriving any fiction to satisfy her, he thought himself obliged to tell her the truth, or at least part of the truth, and confess In which the reader will find matter worthy his ed that he had had a little skirmish with Colo consideration. AMELIA having waited above an hour for her husband, concluded, as he was the most punctual man alive, that he had met with some engagement abroad, and sat down to her meal with her children; which, as it was always uncomfortable in the absence of her husband, was very short; so that, before his return, all the apparatus of dining was entirely removed. Booth sat some time with his wife, expecting every minute when the little maid would make her appearance; at last curiosity, I believe, rather than appetite, made him ask how long it was to dinner?" To dinner! my dear," answered Amelia ; 66 sure you have dined, I hope?" Booth replied in the negative; upon which his wife started from her chair, and bestirred herself as nimbly to provide him a repast, as the most industrious host in the kingdom doth, when some unexpected guest of extraordinary quality arrives at her house. The reader hath not, I think, from any passages hitherto recorded in this history, had much reason to accuse Amelia of a blameable curiosity: he will not, I hope, conclude that she gave an instance of any such fault, when, upon Booth's having so long overstaid his time, and so greatly mistaken the hour of the day, and upon some other circumstances of his behaviour (for he was too honest to be good at concealing any of his thoughts) she said to him after he had done eating," My dear, I am sure something more than ordinary hath happened to-day, and I beg you will tell me what it is." Booth answered, that nothing of any consequence had happened; that he had been detain ed by a friend, whom he met accidentally, longer than he expected. In short he made many shuffling and evasive answers, not boldly lying out, which, perhaps, would have succeeded, but poorly and vainly endeavouring to reconcile falsehood with truth; an attempt which seldom fails to betray the most practised deceiver. How impossible was it, therefore, for Booth to succeed in an art for which Nature had so entirely disqualified him! His countenance indeed confessed faster than his tongue denied; and the whole of his behaviour gave Amelia an alarm, and made her suspect something very bad had happened; and as her thoughts turned presently on the badness of their circumstances, she feared some mischief from his creditors had befallen him; for she was too ignorant of such matters to know, that if he had fallen into the hands of the Philistines, (which is the name given by the faithful to bailiffs,) he would hardly have been able so soon to recover his liberty. Booth nel Bath, in which, he said, the Colonel had received a slight wound, not at all dangerous; and this, says he, is all the whole matter. "If it be so," cries Amelia, " I thank Heaven no worse hath happened; but why, my dear, will you ever converse with that madman, who can embrace a friend one moment, and fight with him the next?" "Nay, my dear," answered Booth," you yourself must confess, though he be a little too much on the qui vive, he is a man of great honour and good-nature."-"Tell me not," replied she, "of such good nature and honour as would sacrifice a friend, and a whole family, to a ridiculous whim. O Heavens !" cried she, falling upon her knees, "from what misery have I escaped, from what have these poor babes escaped, through your gracious providence this day!" Then turning to her husband, she cried, "But are you sure the monster's wound is no more dangerous than you say? A monster surely I may call him, who can quarrel with a man that could not, that I am convinced would not offend him." Upon this question, Booth repeated the assu rances which the surgeon had given them, perhaps with a little enlargement, which pretty well satisfied Amelia; and instead of blaming her husband for what he had done, she tenderly embraced him, and again returned thanks to Heaven for his safety. In the evening, Booth insisted on paying a short visit to the Colonel, highly against the inclination of Amelia, who, by many arguments and entreaties, endeavoured to dissuade her husband from continuing an acquaintance, in which, she said, she should always foresee much danger for the future. However, she was at last prevailed upon to acquiesce; and Booth went to the Colonel, whose lodgings happened to be in the verge as well as his own. He found the Colonel in his night-gown, and his great chair, engaged with another officer at a game of chess. He rose immediately, and having heartily embraced Booth, presented him to his friend, saying, he had the honour to introduce to him as brave and as fortitudinous a man as any in the king's dominions. He then took Booth with him into the next room, and desired him not to mention a word of what had happened in the morning, saying, “I am very well satisfied that no more hath happened; however, as it ended in nothing, I could wish it might remain a secret." Booth told him he was heartily glad to find him so well, and promised never to mention it more to any one. The game at chess being but just begun, and neither of the parties having gained any considerable advantage, they neither of them insisted on continuing it; and now the Colonel's antago |