get the perfon of my darling within his fangs; and I curfed my own ftupidity for not perceiving it at firft; but bleffed be my God however, in all events, that my lamb was ftill innocent, was ftill unfullied.

What with grief and the fright together, my dear wife took to her bed, from whence the never rofe, but expired on the fifth day, bleffing and preffing her daughter to her bofom. My poor infant. then fell as dead befide her mother, and could not be recovered from her fit in many hours; and, indeed, it was then the wish and the prayer of my foul, that we might all be laid and forgotten in one grave together..

As foon as my darling was recovered however, I again wifhed to live for her fake, that I might not leave her without a comforter or protector, in the midst of a merciless and wicked world.

In order to pay the nurfe-keeper, the doctor, and apothecary, as alfo to defray the funeral expences, I left my child with the nurse keeper, and, going to our former lodgings, I fold all her millenary matters at fomething under a third of prime coft; and having discharged the lodgings and paid my gaol debts, I prepared to lay my precious depofit in the womb of

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that

that earth which is one day to render her back, incorruptible, to eternity.

When the corpfe was carrying out at the door, my child fell once more into fits, and I was divided and quite diftracted about what I fhould do, whether to ftay with the living, or pay my duty to the dead. But I will no longer detain you with melancholy matters, fince all worldly griefs, with all worldly joys also, muft shortly be done away.

As foon as I understood that lady Templar was returned to town, I waited upon her, and giving her an abridgment of our manifold misfortunes, I produced the note that had been written in her name; but the coldly replied, that it was not her hand, and that he was not anfwerable for the frauds or villanies of athers.

Meanwhile, my dear girl accufed herfelf as the cause of all our calamities, and pined away, on that account, as pale as the fheets fhe lay in. She was alfo so enfeebled, by her faintish and fick-fits, that fhe was not able to make a third of her ufual earnings; and as I, on my part, was alfo difqualified from labouring in my profeffion, fince I did not dare to leave my child alone and unfheltered, we were reduced to a fate of the greateft extremity.

One

One day, word was brought me that a gentleman, a few doors off, defired to fpeak with me; and as they, who are finking, catch at any thing for their fupport, my heart fluttered in the hope of fome happy reverfe. Accordingly I followed the meffenger. His appearance, in drefs and perfon, was altogether that of the gentleman.

He ordered all others out of the room, and requesting me to fit befide him, in a half whispering voice he began: I am come, Mr Stern, from one whom you have great reafon to account your greateft enemy; I come from Mr Delvil, at whofe fuit your daughter now lies in prifon. I ftarted---Be patient, Sir, he said. He knows your diftreffes, he knows all your wants, he knows also that he is the author of them; yet I tell you, that he feels them, as if they were his own; and that it was not his enmity, but his love, that occafioned them.

He depends on his old uncle Dim nock for a valt fortune in expectation. He faw your daughter, and loved her; he faw her again, and loved her to madnets. He inquired her family, her character, and found that he had nothing to expect from any licentious propotal. He feared, however, that all muit love her, as he did, and,

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and, to prevent other pirates, he made: ufe of the fratagem which, contrary to his intentions, has brought you here. He never meant any thing difhonourable by your daughter. Had he carried her clear off, you might all have been happy together at this day; and, if you confent, he will marry her here, in the presence of a few witneffes, who fhall be fworn to fecrecy till his uncle's death; and he will inftantly pay you down three hundred pounds, in recompence for your fuffer. ings, and will fettle one hundred pounds annuity on your child for life..

I must own that, to one in my circum ftances, this propofal had fomething very. tempting in it. But who is this Mr Del vil? faid I, I know him not, I never faw him. I am the man, Sir, faid he. If would have difcharged my action as I came to this place; but I dare not per-mit your daughter to get out of my cu-ftody; for, at the lofs of my fortune, at the lofs of my life, I am determined that no other man living fhall poffefs her. I then promised him that I would make a faithful narration to my child of all that had pafled, but told him, at the fame time,. that I would wholly fubfcribe to her plea fure, and fo we parted..

Ass

As foon as I represented this matter to my Diana, O no, my papa, fhe cried, it is impoffible, it never can be ;. I would do any thing, fuffer any thing, but this, for your relief. Would you act the marriage of the lamb and the wolf in the fable? If fuch have been the confequences of this genlteman's affection for us, what have we not to expect from the effects of hisaverfion? I would prefer any kind of deathto a life with fuch a man. And, then my mother, fhe cried, and burst into tears, my dear mother whom he has murdered!? though he were worth half the world, and would marry me publicly in the face of the other half; it will not be, it can-not be, indeed, my papa!

Hereupon I writ Mr Delvil almost a literal account of my daughter's answer. It is nearly five weeks fince this happened, and we have not heard any thing further from him.

In this time, however, we got acquaint-ed with a family at the next door, whose converfe has been a great confolation to us. There is a father and. mother with seven small children, boys and girls; they are very worthy people, and of noble defcent; but how they contrive to live at: all I cannot conceive, for they have no vifible means of making a penny. Had

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