Page images
PDF
EPUB

the fineries of drefs were of the utmost importance, believed me. I chaffered with the man, though by no means well informed of the price I ought to have given; while fhe, pleafed in believing I began to be reconciled to my destiny, beckoned her fon out to tell him how he fhould manage the little gallantry of prefenting me with thefe things. This was beyond my hopes; I haftily gave my letter to the man, entreated him to put it into the post, and affured him, that on applying to my mother, whofe addrefs I gave him, he should be handsomely rewarded. I told him I had no money to make any purchases, and would not accept them from the perfon who lived there; but I begged he would accept for his trouble the half guinea I gave him. The man seemed willing to oblige me; and on the almost inflantaneous return of my perfecutors, I excufed myfelf as well as I could from my intended bargains, and retired; trufting that the pedlar N 2 would

would not betray me, and knowing my fituation could not be materially worse if he did.

[ocr errors]

"Mrs. Darnell and her fon were both in very good humour at fupper; they hardly doubted now of their final fuccefs, and feemed already to be allied to, and to poffefs the fortune of the coheiress of M. De Verdon, for fo this fapient Mr. Darnell had heard from Brownjohn that your poor Medora certainly was; and it was Brownjohn who, in confequence of that perfuafion, had contrived with his brother the honourable exploit he now thought he should moft undoubtedly execute fo happily.

"It was in the exultation of his heart, enlivened and elevated too by a confiderable quantity of strong beer, that during fupper he betrayed to me these particulars. I fuffered him to prate and parade of his schemes and projects; and as I never checked his impertinence fo little, he feemed at last difpofed to carry it farther,

and began to leer at me in a moft difagreeable way, and to recal fome of his fcraps of plays; but afraid his mother would leave us, I quitted the room fo haftily that he had no power to prevent me, and difregarding his entreaties as he followed me half way up ftairs, I locked the door of my room, and he was com pelled to repeat to "the filent moon his enamoured lay," which I heard him do for fome time at the ftair-cafe window to my very great annoyance; and ftill more was I difquieted by his folly when he came to my door, and quoted from I know not what plays an infinite deal of nonsense, in a tone which he probably thought very theatrical. 1 collected, however, from his murmuring lower and lower, and speaking more and more inarticulately, that the effects of what he had drank would foon prevent his continuing to moleft me. His mother, apprehenfive that he might lose the ground the imagined he had gained in my favour,

N 3

favour, came up, and in a whifper perfuaded him to retire. The whole house foon became quiet, and I prepared with a beating heart for my evasion.

"The moon, only in its first quarter, was fading away. I ventured to open the clofet window. The wind had risen, menacing a ftorm, and I faw the branches of fome: great walnut-trees, which were in a clofe adjoining to the garden, bend and fway with violence before it. This was in my favour; for the rattling of the old doors and windows, and the fluttering of leaves, would prevent any noife I might make from being attended to. I adjufted my clothes as well as I could, put my night linen and cloak into my pockets, and tied my hat under my chin, and then with all the refolu tion the urgency of the cafe required, I mounted on the window seat, and began to try to defcend, finding a footing on the vine branches, which befriended me more than I had dared to

hope.

hope. I held by fome while I ftepped. on others; once one of them loofened from the wall, and I had very nearly fallen; but I leaped down, and found myself on my feet on the ground, with no other hurt than fome fcratches on my arms from the nails and roughnefs of the wall, which was not fo high as my fears had reprefented it. I loft not a moment now in haftening. away, yet trembling fo much for fear of the dog that I could hardly move. I heard no noife, however, and hurried, breathlefs and looking behind me at every step, towards the old green house. It was immediately before the windows of the back front of the house; yet I trufted that none would at that hour be on the watch. My heart now fluttered leaft either of the doors of the greenhouse fhould be faftened; and when I tried the first, the excess of my fear prevented me fome time from opening it, but it was not locked; and I entered the greenhouse, which was almoft entirely dark,

N 4

« EelmineJätka »