HAVING then fettled her felf and her Mamma in genteel Lodgings, fhe waited on Mr. Probit, to defire he would go to get her Bills accepted, this Gentleman. accordingly did fo; when to his great Pain and Aftonishment, Jabez had, by the Man of War which brought over the Bills on Friend Abraham, declared himfelf Infolvent; this then was a total Reduction of this Sum to nothing, at least for the prefent.

Mr. Probit has been heard feveral Times to fay, that he believed no Misfortune in his Life, ever touched him fo feverely as this; he imagined that the poor old Lady, his Friend, and this moft dutiful of all Children, were reduced to immediate Mifery. The Thoughts of imparting this News to them, was a Pain he would have avoided beyond all Things, but it must be done.

THE Day Mifs Lydia came to receive an Answer to her Bills; Probit, with all the Softness and Address which he was Mafter of, told her the unhappy Circumftances which attended her Bills.

My poor Parent,' fays Mifs Fairchild, will your Mifery never end but with your Life? As to myself there are a thousand Things which I can do, and without repining, to procure me Suftenance, and even Happiness, but how to get fufficient for both, for all the thousand Things which declining Life is in want. of, that indeed makes me tremble. However,' fays fhe, I have fourfcore Guineas, which I know not why I did not take Bills for alfo; this Sum wilk fupply us a little while, till I can find fome Way of fupporting my aged Parent; fomething tells me,' fays fhe, there is Happiness referved for me."

WITHOUT doubt,' anfwered Mr. Probit, with Tears of Approbation, fuch filial Piety has never yet ⚫ been unrewarded by Heaven.'

EVEN this Diftrefs is not totally void of Pleasure,' replied Mifs Fairchild, I have never acquainted my dear Mother with the Sum I have brought over • with me; this Lofs, therefore, fhall be carefully concealed from her Knowledge, I fear the Shock would be too great for her prefent weak State, this gives me fome Confolation; I will therefore take my Meafures henceforth from my prefent Situation, and

lead

lead her infenfibly to my working in fome Shape or other, or ferving fome Lady; where being pro⚫vided for myself, I can fpare for her Support all that I get in that Service; indeed I hoped her future Days would have been rendered happy, by my softening every Care, and foothing every Pain; but the Will of Heaven has ordained it otherwife; I fhall therefore endeavour to obey without repining.'

God bless thee, thou lovely Creature,' fays Mr. Probit. She then took her Leave, and returned to her Mother, appearing with all poffible Chearfulness before her, to make her remaining Life as eafy as poffible.

By infenfible Degrees, she acquainted Mrs. Fairchild with what the poffeffed, and her Defire to employ herself in fomething which might affift them, and by Degrees gave Hints of her Inclination to ferve fome young Lady in London; when, Madam,' fays fhe, I fhall fee you every Day, and from that Service fave Money enough to make your Life more happy than it can otherwise be done, and this will add much Pleafure to mine.'

ALAS,' fays the good old Woman, I was in Hopes to have enjoyed the Pleasure of gazing on my Lydia all Day long, the only Joy I can now tafte; but fince Heaven has determined Things in another Manner, I have been too long accustomed to yield to its Dictates, and acquiefce, tho' with Pain, in this. Alas! my dear Child, muft Service be thy Lot to fupport thy feeble Parent? Why had not I dy’d before I beheld thy lovely Face, and brought the • Sorrows which attend old Age and Want, on the • Heart of Youth and Loveliness?"

MADAM,' fays the amiable Creature, Heaven would not deprive me of the Joy which I feel, in being able to fupport you; believe me, it is the greatest • Pleasure of my Life.'

HEAVEN!' fays the Parent with uplifted Hands, and Eyes of Piety and Truth, look down with Pity on this duteous Child; may fhe tafte Comfort in this

Life, and my Woes exhauft the Sum, which might otherwise have fallen upon her.'

MISS Fairchild having thus prepared her Mother for her Designs, began to feel her Heart lefs anxious; fhe becaine acquainted with a Milliner of Reputation, and told her, the fhould be glad to work for her, or ferve any Lady of good Character, as a Maid about 'her Perfon.'

THE Milliner had before this conceived a great Affection for her, and had often faid, fhe never faw a more amiable young Woman; there were indeed many who were more regular of Feature, tho' few better shaped; but in her Expreffion, Manner, and Countenance, there was a Sweetnefs which won upon all Hearts, an Innocence which is the most captivating to Minds which are truly formed, an Eafe and Grace in all her Motions, and a total Appearance of being inconscious of her Beauty and amiable Qualities.

ONE Day, as the came to the Shop of Mrs. Makemode (which was the Milliner's Name) there was a young Lady who was befpeaking fome gay Apparel, with the fame Dejection in her Face, that attends thofe who choose Mourning for the Death of those they love.

THE Face and Appearance of Mifs Lydia could not pafs unobferved by this Lady; fhe therefore enquired of Mrs. Makemode who Lydia was; and this Woman knowing Mifs Lydia's Inclination to ferve a Lady, gave her the Character fhe deferved. This young Viscountess then expreft great Inclination to have her as a Servant, which being readily agreed to by Mifs Fairchild, she was taken into her Service This Lady we fhall have farther Occafion to speak of, after telling our Readers what will be found in the next Chapter.

CHA P.

CHA P. LXI.

A fhort Chapter explaining the Reason of Lydia's Refolution to become a Servant to a Lady. Not unnatural in her State.

B

ESIDES the Lofs of this Money by the Villainy of Jabez Sly, there was yet another Reafon which had determined Lydia to ferve fome Lady; the had seen in the News-papers, that Mr. Probit was become Earl of Liberal, by the Death of all thofe Relations between that Title and himself; this, tho' the first Thought gave her Joy, was immediately fucceeded by a Pang which ran thro' her Heart; the now believed herself eternally fecluded from the Arms of that Man, whom she loved more than Life.

BEFORE this Discovery, he refolved to write him a Letter where the might be found, according to their parting Promife; but this Alteration in his Fortune had deter'd her from that Proceeding: She saw herself in too humble a State for that Behaviour, and concluded that Title and Grandeur had erased the Thoughts of Love and Lydia from the Heart of Mr. Probit, now become Earl of Liberal.

This then, added to her Loffes, had determined this lovely Creature to ferve fome Gentlewoman or Lady, as a Maid about her Person; and the Chance of her being feen at Mrs. Makemode's, had fixed her in the Service of that Woman, whose History we are going to describe.

CHA P.

CHA P. XLII.

New Company. A Viscountess not overjoyed at being a Lady, in the first Month. Farther Proof of the Ütility of the bleed Marriage-Act, exhibited in Guardians and their Wives. A Lord bumbugs and bribes a Merchant's Wife at the fame Time.

T

HE young Lady then, who with Eyes of Dejection and Sorrow was choofing fome gay Garments at Mrs. Makemode's, was the Daughter of Sir Toby Thrifty, who had paffed the high Honour of Lord Mayor of the City of London; indeed the was at present an Orphan, under the Care and Guardianship of Mr. Muckworm, a Merchant, one of the clofe Kind.

THIS young Lady, before the Age of Seventeen, had conceived a Paffion for the cldeft Son of a Country Gentleman, in the Neighbourhood of that Eftate which her Father had purchafed in Worcestershire, not far from the City of Worcester; he was of an ancient Family, tho' but of a small Estate, not exceeding Five Hundred a Year; his Name was Sweetwood, as indeed is the Name of the Seat, being called Sweetwood-ball.

THE Fathers of these two young People vifited each other in the Country, and young Mr. Sweetwood, who was one-and-twenty, had often dined with his Father at Sir Toby's, and drank deeply the delicious Poifon of Mifs Arabella Thrifty's Eyes; indeed he loved her unspeakably.

THIS we conceive will not appear very furprizing, when we shall describe her Person; her Height then had nothing extraordinary in it, but fhe was extremely well made, her Legs and Feet just and elegantly proportioned; fhe was plump but not fat, her Skin and Complexion in Nature, what the Colouring of Corregio is amongst other Painters; her Neck large and long, and going off in true mufcular Proportion to her Shoulder; her beauteous Bofom was hid behind a Gauze, which

made