room, and with her was one of those men who seem to have taken in fome houses the place formerly occupied by the director and confeffor. Mr. Armitage, from his countenance and appearance, immediately gueffed what he was; but as he wished the whole world, had it been poffible, might witness what he had to fay, he hesitated not to address himself immediately to Mrs. Crewkherne on the fubject of his vifit.

"I came to you, Madam," said he, "to remonstrate with you. It will not be eafily poffible for me to forget that there is a certain degree of refpect due to your age and your fex; but as a human being, as a person who has, without any provocation, done me the greatest injury in your power, I mean not to diffemble my fentiments."

"I, Sir!" interrupted the lady, her voice trembling, and her complection affuming a deep orange hue; "I injured you! Sir, what do you mean? I never faw you that I know of, I am fure, in my life before."

"Had

"Had the malice with which, notwithstanding you never faw me before, you have inceffantly pursued me," said Armitage coolly, "been levelled against me as an individual, I should never have taken the trouble to have fpoken to you; but your unprovoked affaults may have been of ferious confequence to an innocent and excellent woman; to a young and lovely girl her daughter. These ladies you never faw, or at least obtained a fight of them only by impertinent and unjuftifiable intrufion on their folitude."

Mrs. Crewkherne, whofe wrath had began to conquer her fears at the words age and fex, now found it rifing to a degree not easy to be restrained.

Upon my word, Sir, you take great liberties," cried fhe. "Very extraordinary indeed, that I am to be infulted in this manner."

"I mean not to infult you, Madam -I only intend to put an end to the unwarrantable conduct by which you have injured others. Why, Madam, did. B 2

you

you affume it as a fact, that Mrs. Glenmorris and her daughter were people of doubtful character ?"

"Since you oblige me to speak, I will then. I faid fo, Mr. Armitage, because I was told fo; and because... because . . . why because that nobody could fuppose that a woman of any fashion, of any character and reputation, would conceal herfelf clandeftinely in a . . . a fort of an obfcure, mean place, as if she had fome bad design in view-and I suppose you wont profecute me as I am free to fay what all the world fays—as free, I hope, as another -I suppose it is no fcandal to fay, that every body knows your name is not very good, and that it was not very likely any person who was very nice about their reputation would put themselves into the care of a perfon of your character."

"Since my character then," replied Armitage," thus becomes the means of injury to my friends, it is worth my while to ask you, my good lady, what parts of it have the misfortune to be fo difpleafing to you?"

"All,

"All, Sir, let me tell you, all. I am affured that you are an atheist, a deist, a freethinker, an illuminy; I don't know what, not I; a jacobin, and a republican."

The grave perfonage that fat by turned his eyes, lifted up his hands, and uttered a deep groan.

up

Armitage fmiled.-" Really, Madam,” faid he," these charges are so numerous, and fo heavy, that I hardly know where to begin my defence. I fear too," turning a little towards Mr. Habbukkuc Cramp, (the man who fat by) "that my audience are not very favourably difpofed towards me. First, however, I must beg leave to remark, that I cannot be both an atheift and a deift."

"I don't see why not-I am fure there are people that go the length of being every thing that's bad and abominable."

"I don't imagine you expect that I fhould make to you, or this gentleman,

a confeffion of my faith; but I beg leave to affure you, that I am not only not an atheist myself, but that I do not believe any man exifts who will fincerely affert himself to be one. I fpeak not of fools or coxcombs, who may fancy fome daring deviation from common fenfe, or fome wild fyftem, of which they understand nothing, gives them a fort of confequence with the ignorant and fuperficial; I fpeak of men of folid understanding and fober reflexion; I beg leave therefore to affure you I am not of that description of men called atheists. If you will give me leave to quote a play, which was written by one of the best and most pious men of the last age, I would fay in his words:

If there's a power above us,

(And that there is all nature cries aloud Through all her works) he must delight in virtue*. And the question what that virtue is, in which a benevolent and omnipotent being muft delight, feems to me as clear

* Addifon, in Cato.

as