Away flew the charmer with this half permission—­and no doubt thought that she had an escape—­nor without reason.

I knew not for half an hour what to do with myself.  Vexed at the heart, nevertheless, (now she was from me, and when I reflected upon her hatred of me, and her defiances,) that I suffered myself to be so overawed, checked, restrained——­

And now I have written thus far, (have of course recollected the whole of our conversation,) I am more and more incensed against myself.

But I will go down to these women—­and perhaps suffer myself to be laughed at by them.

Devil fetch them, they pretend to know their own sex.  Sally was a woman well educated—­Polly also—­both have read—­both have sense—­of parentage not mean—­once modest both—­still, they say, had been modest, but for me —­not entirely indelicate now; though too little nice for my personal intimacy, loth as they both are to have me think so—­the old one, too, a woman of family, though thus (from bad inclination as well as at first from low circumstances) miserably sunk:—­and hence they all pretend to remember what once they were; and vouch for the inclinations and hypocrisy of the whole sex, and wish for nothing so ardently, as that I will leave the perverse lady to their management while I am gone to Berkshire; undertaking absolutely for her humility and passiveness on my return; and continually boasting of the many perverse creatures whom they have obliged to draw in their traces.

***

I am just come from the sorceresses.

I was forced to take the mother down; for she began with her Hoh, Sir! with me; and to catechize and upbraid me, with as much insolence as if I owed her money.

I made her fly the pit at last.  Strange wishes wished we against each other at her quitting it——­What were they?—­I’ll tell thee——­She wished me married, and to be jealous of my wife; and my heir-apparent the child of another man.  I was even with her with a vengeance.  And yet thou wilt think that could not well be.—­As how?—­As how, Jack!—­Why, I wished for her conscience come to life!  And I know, by the gripes mine gives me every half-hour, that she would then have a cursed time of it.

Sally and Polly gave themselves high airs too.  Their first favours were thrown at me, [women to boast of those favours which they were as willing to impart, first forms all the difficulty with them! as I to receive!] I was upbraided with ingratitude, dastardice and all my difficulties with my angel charged upon myself, for want of following my blows; and for leaving the proud lady mistress of her own will, and nothing to reproach herself with.  And all agreed, that the arts used against her on a certain occasion, had too high an operation for them or me to judge what her will would have been in the arduous trial.  And then they blamed one another; as I cursed them all.

They concluded, that I should certainly marry, and be a lost man.  And Sally, on this occasion, with an affected and malicious laugh, snapt her fingers at me, and pointing two of each hand forkedly at me, bid me remember the lines I once showed her of my favourite Jack Dryden, as she always familiarly calls that celebrated poet: