her?——­What then is there in the parting with her apparel but female perverseness?—­And I am not sure, whether I ought not to be glad, if she does this out of spite to me.—­ Some disappointed fair-ones would have hanged, some drowned themselves.  My beloved only revenges herself upon her clothes.  Different ways of working has passion in different bosoms, as humours or complexion induce.  —­Besides, dost think I shall grudge to replace, to three times the value, what she disposes of?  So, Jack, there is no great matter in this.

Thou seest how sensible she is of the soothings of the polite doctor:  this will enable thee to judge how dreadfully the horrid arrest, and her gloomy father’s curse, must have hurt her.  I have great hope, if she will but see me, that my behaviour, my contrition, my soothings, may have some happy effect upon her.

But thou art too ready to give up.  Let me seriously tell thee that, all excellence as she is, I think the earnest interposition of my relations; the implored mediation of that little fury Miss Howe; and the commissions thou actest under from myself; are such instances of condescension and high value in them, and such contrition in me, that nothing farther can be done.—­So here let the matter rest for the present, till she considers better of it.

But now a few words upon poor Belton’s case.  I own I was at first a little startled at the disloyalty of his Thomasine.  Her hypocrisy to be for so many years undetected!—­I have very lately had some intimations given me of her vileness; and had intended to mention them to thee when I saw thee.  To say the truth, I always suspected her eye:  the eye, thou knowest, is the casement at which the heart generally looks out.  Many a woman, who will not show herself at the door, has tipt the sly, the intelligible wink from the windows.

But Tom. had no management at all.  A very careless fellow.  Would never look into his own affairs.  The estate his uncle left him was his ruin:  wife, or mistress, whoever was, must have had his fortune to sport with.

I have often hinted his weakness of this sort to him; and the danger he was in of becoming the property of designing people.  But he hated to take pains.  He would ever run away from his accounts; as now, poor fellow! he would be glad to do from himself.  Had he not had a woman to fleece him, his coachman or valet, would have been his prime-minister, and done it as effectually.

But yet, for many years, I thought she was true to his bed.  At least I thought the boys were his own.  For though they are muscular, and big-boned, yet I supposed the healthy mother might have furnished them with legs and shoulders:  for she is not of a delicate frame; and then Tom., some years ago, looked up, and spoke more like a man, than he has done of late; squeaking inwardly, poor fellow! for some time past, from contracted quail-pipes, and wheezing from lungs half spit away.