This added fuel to the flame which was already blazing in his bofom. And, as "Trifles light as "air, are to the jealous, confirmation strong, as "proofs of holy writ*," he thought he had found fresh reafon to accufe me of levity.

But his attention was in fome measure taken off from thefe difquiet thoughts by an unexpected incident. Taking up a news-paper which lay in the room, I obferved in it an advertisement, which was too particularly pointed, for me to doubt that ic related to myself. It ran thus; " If the lady, "who left a near relation's on such a day, with

86

a young gentlewoman and gentleman, will re"turn; that relation has in poffeffion a larger

depofit than will ferve to accommodate the dif"agreeable affair which occafioned her to leave "London."

Upon reading this intelligence, I infifted on immediately returning back to London. To which Mr. Digges confented. But when we got to Edmonton, he determined to leave me there, and go to the capital by himself, ro enquire into the circumftances of the affair. He accordingly fet out, whilft I pleased myself with the hopes of being there as foon as him. But, upon my ordering a post-chaife, the man of the house informed me, that he had received pofitive directions * Othello, Act III. Scene VII.

from

from the gentleman not to let me have a carriage, nor even fuffer me to leave the house. Patience was my only refource; though, I own, I cannot conftitutionally make that virtue my boaft.

When my good man returned, he informed me, that my mother was fo enraged at my not coming back before, fuppofing I must have seen the advertisement, that she had determined to refund the money depofited in her hands; and to fell the furniture of my houfe, in order to pay Mrs. Jordan, my milliner, who was her intimate friend. I entreated Mr. Digges to fuffer me to go to my mother, that I might try to prevail upon her to alter her refolution; but my entreaties were ineffectual. Notwithstanding the vexation. I felt at the time from this obftinate refusal, I muft do him the juftice to fay, that I believe he was influenced by no other motive than pure regard. He had engaged to go back to Scotland. He had likewife great reason to suppose, that, from his being fo much involved, he should not be able to continue in London, fhould he break that engagement. Befides, it was natural for him to conclude, that the depofit was conditionally lodged with my mother, the nature of our attachment being unknown. All these reasons induced him to insist on my staying with him.

L

We

We then once more fet out, without having

any fixed placed to go to. ton Mills, an inn on the

When we got to BarNorwich road, I was

taken very ill. Here he left me, and went again to London; I believe, to enquire whether my mother had carried her threats into execution; and he found fhe had done it immediately. I was now left in a very difagreeable fituation; and, for the first time in my life, was apprehenfive of knowing the want of money for my present exi- ' gencies. All my wardrobe had been put on board the pacquet at Harwich, fo that I had no apparel with me but a few fhifts, my night-drefs, and the travelling habit I had on. To pay my expences when I got to Holland, I had procured bills and letters of credit from Mr. Colley, an acquaintance of my mother's, upon merchants at Antwerp and The Hague, at which places I intended taking up my refidence alternately. But thefe were now of no service to me.

In this fituation, we turned our horfes heads towards the North; and when we came to Prefton, in Lancashire, the money I had with me was nearly expended. Nothing was now to be done but for Mr. Digges to go on to Edinburgh. This he did, leaving me at a village, the name of which I have forgot, about twenty miles short of

it;

it; as I had infifted on his not taking me to that place, agreeable to the promise he had made me.

In two days after he left me, a post-chaise came to convey me on to the Grafs Market, as the driver told me. This I fuppofed to be a town which, was called by that name, and accordingly went with him. When I arrived at an inn in the Market, a woman waited for me, of a most extraordinary figure. She was very lufty; had been handfome; was intolerably dirty; had on a Dutch cap, with a plaid round her shoulders; and was without ftays. She informed me, in the Scotch accent, that her name was Molly Kershaw, a particular friend of my spouse's, and that the came to conduct me to my apartments. I told her, I hoped they were not in Edinburgh. She declared, they were not, but at Mifs Coulftone's, a person who was genteel as well as myfell, though she took in plain-work. She acquainted me, that she had ordered dinner at the inn where we were, particularly a very fine turbot, which fhe dwelt much upon. I had but little appetite at any time; and indifpofition, fatigue, and fretting, had not increased it. But, to my great furprize, when the boasted dinner appeared, the very fine turbot proved to be a large piece of coarse thornback.

Between

Between fix and feven o'clock in the evening, a coach came to convey me to my apartments in the Cannon Gate. When we arrived, after having mounted three pair of ftairs, the ground-floor of which was a chandler's fhop, I was introduced to the genteel Mifs Coulftone. This lady appeared to be an old maid of about fixty years of age, and looked as if fhe had been fmoke-dried. She was the very counter-part of the old woman in "Rule a Wife and have a Wife."

The found of mufic now reached my ears. Upon my enquiring from whence it came, I was anfwered, from the theatre, which was directly oppofite. From this I learnt, that the Cannon Gate, where the coach had fet me down, was the fuburbs to the city of Edinburgh, into which I had thus, through my ignorance of the country, been decoyed. I no fooner made the discovery than I took a pair of fciffars, and cut my hair off, quite close to my head, to prevent my being folicited to appear in public.

The piece which was performing was the " Beg"gar's Opera," in which my gentleman acted Macheath, a part he was esteemed very capital in. After the opera, he haftened to me, when he informed me, that the English papers having announced my abfence, it was conjectured, that the new-comer at Mifs Coultone's was the very fu