She was shown the paper——­

But too evident!—­Cursed, cursed toad, devil, jade, passed from each mouth:—­and the vileness of the corrupted, and the unworthiness of the corruptress, were inveighed against.

Up we all went, passing the lady’s door into the dining-room, to proceed to trial.——­

Stamp, stamp, stamp up, each on her heels; rave, rave, rave, every tongue ——­

Bring up the creature before us all this instant!——­

And would she have got out of the house, say you?—­

These the noises and the speeches as we clattered by the door of the fair bribress.

Up was brought Dorcas (whimpering) between two, both bawling out—­You must go—­You shall go—­’Tis fit you should answer for yourself—­You are a discredit to all worthy servants—­as they pulled and pushed her up stairs.—­She whining, I cannot see his honour—­I cannot look so good and so generous a gentleman in the face—­O how shall I bear my aunt’s ravings?——­

Come up, and be d—­n’d—­Bring her forward, her imperial judge—­What a plague, it is the detection, not the crime, that confounds you.  You could be quiet enough for days together, as I see by the date, under the villany.  Tell me, ungrateful devil, tell me who made the first advances?

Ay, disgrace to my family and blood, cried the old one—­tell his honour—­ tell the truth!—­Who made the first advances?——­

Ay, cursed creature, cried Sally, who made the first advances?

I have betrayed one trust already!—­O let me not betray another!—­My lady is a good lady!—­O let not her suffer!—­

Tell all you know.  Tell the whole truth, Dorcas, cried Polly Horton.—­ His honour loves his lady too well to make her suffer much:  little as she requites his love!——­

Every body sees that, cried Sally—­too well, indeed, for his honour, I was going to say.

Till now, I thought she deserved my love—­But to bribe a servant thus, who she supposed had orders to watch her steps, for fear of another elopement; and to impute that precaution to me as a crime!—­Yet I must love her—­Ladies, forgive my weakness!——­

Curse upon my grimaces!—­if I have patience to repeat them!—­But thou shalt have it all—­thou canst not despise me more than I despise myself!

***

But suppose, Sir, said Sally, you have my lady and the wench face to face!  You see she cares not to confess.

O my carelessness! cried Dorcas—­Don’t let my poor lady suffer!—­Indeed, if you all knew what I know, you would say her ladyship has been cruelly treated—­

See, see, see, see!—­repeatedly, every one at once—­Only sorry for the detection, as your honour said—­not for the fault.

Cursed creature, and devilish creature, from every mouth.

Your lady won’t, she dare not come out to save you, cried Sally; though it is more his honour’s mercy, than your desert, if he does not cut your vile throat this instant.