of the queftion, intimated fome compaffion for the helpless little creature, and commended her brother's charity in what he had done.

Perhaps the reader may account for this behaviour from her condefcenfion to Mr. Allworthy, when we have informed him, that the good man had ended.his. narrative with owning a refolution to take care of the child, and to breed him up as his own; for, to acknowledge the truth, fhe was always ready to oblige her brother, and very feldom, if ever, contradicted his fentiments; fhe would indeed fometimes make a few obfervations, as, that men were headstrong, and must have their own way, and would wifh fhe had been blest with an independent fortune; but these were always vented in a low voice, and at the most amounted only to what is called muttering.

However, what fhe withheld from the infant, fhe bestowed with the utmost profufion on the poor unknown mother, whom the called an impudent flut, a wanton huffey, an audacious harlot, a wicked jade, a vile ftrumpet, with every other appellation with which the tongue of virtue never fails to lafh those who bring a difgrace on the sex.

A confultation was now entered into, how to proceed in order to difcover the mother. A fcrutiny was first made into the characters of the female fervants of the house, who were all acquitted by Mrs. Wilkins, and with apparent merit; for fhe had collected them herfelf; and perhaps it would be difficult to find fuch another fet of fcarecrows.

The next step was to examine among the inhabitants of the parish; and this was referred to Mrs. Wilkins, who was to enquire with all imaginable diligence, and to make her report in the afternoon.

Matters being thus fettled, Mr. Allworthy withdrew to his ftudy, as was his cultom, and left the child to his filter, who, at his defire, had undertaken the care of it.

CHAP.

Containing a few common matters, with a very uncommon obfervation upon them.

WHEN her mafter was departed, Mrs. Deborah flood filent, expecting her cue from Mifs Bridget for as to what had paft before her mafter, the prudent houfe-keeper by no means relied upon it, as fhe had often known the fentiments of the lady, in her brother's abfence, to differ greatly from thofe which fhe had expreffed in his prefence. Mifs Bridget did not, however, fuffer her to continue long in this doubtful fituation for having looked fome time earnestly at the child, as it lay afleep in the lap of Mrs. Deborah, the good lady could not forbear giving it a hearty kifs, at the fame time declaring herfclf wonderfully pleafed with its beauty and innocence, Mrs Deborah no fooner obferved this, than fhe fell to fqueezing and kiffing, with as great raptures as fometimes infpire the fage dame of forty and five towards a youthful and vigorous bridegroom, crying out in a fhrill voice, the dear little creature, the dear, fweet, pretty creature! Well, I vow, it is as fine a boy as s ever was feen 12

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Thefe exclamations continued, till they were interrupted by the lady, who now proceeded to execute the commiffion given her by her brother, and gave orders for providing all neceffaries for the child, appointing a very good room in the houfe for his nurfery. Her orders were indeed fo liberal, that, had it been a child of her own, fhe could not have exceeded them: but, left the virtuous reader may condemn her for fhewing too great regard for a bafeborn infant, to whiclr all charity is condemned by law as irreligious, we think proper to obferve, that the concluded the whole with faying, Since it was her • brother's whim to adopt the little brat, fhe fuppofed little mafter must be treated with great tenderness: for her part, fhe could not help thinking it was an encouragement to vice; but that he knew

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too much of the obftinacy of mankind to oppofe any of their ridiculous humours.'

With reflections of this nature fhe ufually, as has been hinted, accompanied every act of compliance with her brother's inclinations; and furely nothing could more contribute to heighten the merit of this compliance, than a declaration that she knew, at the fame time, the folly and unreasonableness of thofe inclinations to which the fubmitted. Tacit obedience implies no force upon the will, and confequently, may be eafily, and without any pains, preferved; but when a wife, a child, a relation, or a friend, performs what we defire, with grumbling and reluctance, with expreffions of diflike and diffatisfaction, the manifeft difficulty which they undergo, muft greatly enhance the obligation.

As this is one of those deep obfervations which very few readers can be fuppofed capable of making themfelves, I have thought proper to lend them my affiltance; but this is a favour rarely to be expected in the course of my work. Indeed I fhall feldom or never fo indulge them, unlefs in fuch inftances as this, where nothing but the inspiration with which we writers are gifted, can poffibly enable any one to make the difeovery.

CHAP. VI.

Mrs. Deborah is introduced into the parish with a fimile. A fort account of Jenny Jones, with the difficulties and difcouragements which may attend young womeN in the purfuit of learning

MRS. Deborah, having difpofed of the child according to the will of her mafler, now prepared to vifit thofe habitations which were fuppofed to conceal its mother.

Not otherwife than when a kite, tremendous bird, is beheld by the feathered generation foaring aloft, and bovering over their heads; the amorous dove, and every innocent little bird, fpread wide the alarm, and By trembling to their hiding places. He proudly

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beats the air, confcious of his dignity, and meditates intended mifchief.

So when the approach of Mrs. Deborah was proclaimed through the ftreet, all the inhabitants ran trembling into their houses, each matron dreading left the vifit fhould fall to her lot. She with ftately steps proudly advances over the field, aloft fhe bears her towering head, filled with conceit of her own pre-eminence, and fchemes to effect her intended difcovery.

The fagacious reader will not, from this fimile, imagine these poor people had any apprehenfion af the defign with which Mrs. Wilkins was now coming towards them; but as the great beauty of the fimile may poffibly fleep thefe hundred years, till fome future commentator fhall take this work in hand, I think proper to lend the reader a little affiftance in this place.

It is my intention therefore to fignify, that, as it is the nature of a kite to devour little birds, so it is the nature of fuch perfons as Mrs. Wilkins to infult and tyrannize over little people. This being indeed the means by which they ufe to recompenfe to themfelves their extreme fervility and condefcenfion to their fuperiors; for nothing can be more reasonable, than that flaves and flatterers fhould exact the fame taxes on all below them, which they themselves pay to all above them.

Whenever Mrs. Deborah had occafion to exert any extraordinary condefcenfion to Mrs. Bridget, and by that means had a little foured her natural difpofition, it was ufual with her to walk forth among thefe people, in order to refine her temper, by venting, and, as it were, purging off all ill humours; on which account, fhe was by no means a welcome vifitant to fay the truth, he was univerfally dreaded and hated by them all.

On her arrival in this place, the went immediately to the habitation of an elderly matron; to whom, as this matron had the good fortune to refemble herself in the comeliness of her perfon, as well as in her age, The liad generally been more favourable than to any of

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the rest. To this woman fhe imparted what had happened, and the defign upon which he was come thi ther that morning.. Thefe two began prefently to fcrutinize the characters of the feveral young girls, who lived in any of those houses, and at last fixed their ftrongest fufpicion on one Jenny Jones, who they both. agreed was the likelieft person to have committed this fact.

This Jenny Jones was no very comely girl, either in her face or person; but nature had fomewhat compenfated the want of beauty with what is generally more esteemed by thofe ladies, whofe judgment is ar rived at years of perfect maturity; for the had given her a very uncommon fhare of understanding. This gift Jenny had a good deal improved by erudition. She had lived feveral years a fervant with a school-master, who discovering a great quickness of parts in the girl, and an extraordinary defte of learning, (for every leifure hour she was always found reading in the books of the fcholars) had the good-nature, or folly (just as the -reader pleases to call it,) to inftruct her fo far, that she obtained a competent skill in the Latin language, and was, perhaps, as good a scholar as most of the young men of quality of the age. This advantage, however, like moft others of an extraordinary kind, was attended with fome small inconveniencies: for as it is not to be wondered at, that a young woman fo well accom plished fhould have little relift for the fociety of those whom fortune had made her equals, but whom educa tion had rendered fo much her inferiors; fo is it matter of no greater aflonishment, that this fuperiority in Jenny, together with that behaviour which is its certain confequence, fhould produce among the reft fome little envy and ill-will towards ber: and thefe had, perhaps, fecretly burnt in the bofom of her neighbours, ever fince her return from her fervice.

Their envy did not, however, difplay itself openly, till poor Jenny, to the furprize of every body, and to the vexation of all the young women in these parts, had publicly fhone forth on a Sunday, in a new filk gown, with a laced cap, and other proper appendages to.thefe.

The