long ago, that I imagine it power to direct you right. Madam, (I replied,) the gentleman I am in fearch of is Charles Turner, who was my schoolfellow, and my senior by a year in the university, which he left two years before I did, and went from Dublin to the North of England, to inherit a paternal estate on the decease of his father. There was an uncommon friendship between this excellent young man and me, and he made me promise him, in a folemn manner, to call upon him as foon as it was in my power; affuring me at the fame time, that if by any changes and chances in this lower hemifphere, I was ever brought into any perplexities, and he alive, I fhould be welcome to him and what he had, and fhare in his happiness in this world, while I pleafed. This is the man I want: a man, for his years, one of the wifeft and best of the race. His honeft heart had no defign in words. He ever spoke what he meant, and therefore, I am fure he is my friend. To this the lady anfwered, Sir, fince Charles Turner is the man you want, your enquiry is at an end, for you are now at his houfe; and I, who am his fifter, bid you welcome to Skelfmore-vale in his name. He has been for a year and a half last past in Italy, and a little before he went, gave me fuch a defcription of you as enabled me to guefs guefs who you were after I had looked a while at you, and he added to his defcription a request to me, that if you should chance to call here, while I happened to be in the country, that I would receive you, as if you were himfelf; and when I removed, if I could not, or did not chufe to stay longer in the country, that I would make you an offer of the houfe, and give you up all the keys of it, to make ufe of it and his fervants, and the best things the place affords, till his return; which is to be, he fays, in less than a year. Now, Sir, in regard to my brother and his friend, I not only offer you what he defired I fhould, but I will stay a month here longer than I intended; for this lady, (my coufin, Martha Jacquelot,) and I, had determined to go to Scarborough next week, and from thence to London: nor is this all as I know I fhall the more oblige my brother the civiller I am to you, I will, when the Scarborough feafon is over, if you chufe to spend the winter here, come back to Skelfmore-vale, and ftay till Mr. Turner returns. This difcourfe aftonished me to the last degree to hear that I was at my friend Turner's houfe, he abroad, and to be fo for another year; the poffeffion of his feat offered me; and his charming fifter so very civil and good, as to affure me the would return return from the Spaw, and ftay with me till her brother came home: thefe were things fo unexpected and extraordinary, that I was for fome time filent, and at a lofs what to fay. I paufed for fome minutes, with my eyes faftened on this beauty, and then faid, -Mifs Turner, the account you have given of your brother, and the information that I am now at his house, his friendly offers to me by you, and your prodigious civility, in refolving to return from Scar borough, to stay with me here till your brother arrives, are things fo ftrange, fo uncommon, and exceedingly generous and kind, that I am quite amazed at what I hear, and want words to exprefs my obligations, and the grateful fense I have of fuch favors. Accept mny thanks, and be affured, that while I live, I thall properly remember the civility and benevolence of this day; and be ever ready, if occafion offered, and the fates fhould put it in my power to make a due return. Your offer, Madam, in particular is fo high an honour done me, and fhews a spirit fo humane, as I told you I was an unfortunate one, that I shall ever think of it with pleafure, and mention it as a rare inftance of female worth: but as to accepting these most kind offers, I cannot do it. Since Mr. Turner is from home, I will go and vifit another friend I have in this country, to whom I fhall fhall be welcome, I believe, till your bro ther returns. To live by myself here at my friend's expence, would not be right, nor agreeable to me and as to confining you, Madam, in ftaying with me, I would not do it for the world. Sir, (Mifs Turner replied) in refpect of my ftaying here, it will be no confinement to me, I affure you. My heart is not fet upon going to London. It was only want of company made Mifs Jacquelot and me think of it, and if you will stay with us we will not even go to Scarborough this season. This was goodness indeed: but against staying longer than two or three days, I had many good reasons that made it neceffary for me to depart: befide, the unreasonableness of my being an expence to Mr. Turner in his abfence, or confining his fifter to the country; there was Orton-lodge, where I had left O Fin, my lad, at work, to which I could not avoid going again and there was Mifs Melmoth, on whom I had promised to wait, and did intend to ask her if the would give me her hand, as I liked her and her circumftances, and fancied the would live with me in any retreat I pleased to name, which was a thing that would be moft pleafing to my mind. It is true, if Charles Turner had come home, while I ftayed at his houfe, it was poffible I might have got his fifter, who was a very great fortune: fortune: but this was an uncertainty however, and in his abfence, I could not in honour make my addreffes to her if it should be against his mind, it would be acting a falfe part, while I was eating his bread: Mifs Turner to be fure had fifty thousand pounds at her own difpofal, and fo far as I could judge of her mind, during the three days that I stayed with her at Skelfmore-vale, I had some reason to imagine her heart might be gained: but for a man worth nothing to do this, in her brother's houfe, without his leave, was a part I could not act, tho' by miffing her I had been brought to beg my bread. Three days then only I could be prevailed on to ftay, and the time indeed was happily spent. ner's cha racter. Mifs Turner was good-humoured, fenfible, Mifs Turand difcreet, as one could with a woman to be, talked pleasantly upon common fubjects, and was well acquainted with the three nobleft branches of polite learning, antiquity, hiftory, and geography. It was a fine entertainment to hear her. She likewife understood mufic, and fung, and played well on the small harpfichord: but her moral character was what fhed the brightest luftre on her foul. Her thoughts and words were ever employed in promoting God's glory, her neighbour's benefit, and her own true welfare; and her hand very often, in giving 5 tu |