And thus pressed, and gazed at, (for then I looked about me,) the women so richly dressed, people whispering; in an evil moment, out stepped I, trembling, forced to lean with both my hands (frighted too much for ceremony) on the pretended Lady Betty’s arm—­Oh! that I had dropped down dead upon the guilty threshold!

We shall stay but a few minutes, my dear!—­but a few minutes! said the same specious jilt—­out of breath with her joy, as I have since thought, that they had thus triumphed over the unhappy victim!

Come, Mrs. Sinclair, I think your name is, show us the way——­following her, and leading me.  I am very thirsty.  You have frighted me, my dear, with your strange fears.  I must have tea made, if it can be done in a moment.  We have farther to go, Mrs. Sinclair, and must return to Hampstead this night.

It shall be ready in a moment, cried the wretch.  We have water boiling.

Hasten, then—­Come, my dear, to me, as she led me through the passage to the fatal inner house—­lean upon me—­how you tremble!—­how you falter in your steps!—­Dearest niece Lovelace, [the old wretch being in hearing,] why these hurries upon your spirits?—­We’ll be gone in a minute.

And thus she led the poor sacrifice into the old wretch’s too-well-known parlour.

Never was any body so gentle, so meek, so low voiced, as the odious woman; drawling out, in a puling accent, all the obliging things she could say:  awed, I then thought, by the conscious dignity of a woman of quality; glittering with jewels.

The called-for tea was ready presently.

There was no Mr. Belton, I believe:  for the wretch went not to any body, unless it were while we were parlying in the coach.  No such person however, appeared at the tea-table.

I was made to drink two dishes, with milk, complaisantly urged by the pretended ladies helping me each to one.  I was stupid to their hands; and, when I took the tea, almost choked with vapours; and could hardly swallow.

I thought, transiently thought, that the tea, the last dish particularly, had an odd taste.  They, on my palating it, observed, that the milk was London-milk; far short in goodness of what they were accustomed to from their own dairies.

I have no doubt that my two dishes, and perhaps my hartshorn, were prepared for me; in which case it was more proper for their purpose, that they should help me, than that I should help myself.  Ill before, I found myself still more and more disordered in my head; a heavy torpid pain increasing fast upon me.  But I imputed it to my terror.

Nevertheless, at the pretended Lady’s motion, I went up stairs, attended by Dorcas; who affected to weep for joy, that she once more saw my blessed face; that was the vile creature’s word:  and immediately I set about taking out some of my clothes, ordering what should be put up, and what sent after me.

While I was thus employed, up came the pretended Lady Betty, in a hurrying way——­My dear, you won’t be long before you are ready.  My nephew is very busy in writing answers to his letters:  so, I’ll just whip away, and change my dress, and call upon you in an instant.