, and that he hoped the next Day he would again be with her.
    Amelia was a little comforted at this Account; and vented many grateful
Expressions to the Colonel, for his unparallelled Friendship, as she was pleased
to call it. She could not, however, help giving Way soon after to a Sigh, at the
Thoughts of her Husband's Bondage, and declared that Night would be the longest
she had ever known.
    »This Lady, Madam,« cries the Colonel, »must endeavour to make it shorter.
And if you will give me Leave, I will join in the same Endeavour.« Then after
some more consolatory Speeches, the Colonel attempted to give a gay Turn to the
Discourse; and said, »I was engaged to have spent this Evening disagreeably at
Ranelagh, with a Set of Company I did not like. How vastly am I obliged to you,
dear Mrs. Booth, that I pass it so infinitely more to my Satisfaction!«
    »Indeed, Colonel,« said Amelia, »I am convinced that to a Mind so rightly
turned as yours, there must be a much sweeter Relish in the highest Offices of
Friendship, than in any Pleasures which the gayest public Places can afford.«
    »Upon my Word, Madam,« said the Colonel, »You now do me more than Justice. I
have, and always had the utmost Indifference for such Pleasures. Indeed, I
hardly allow them worthy of that Name, or if they are so at all, it is in a very
low Degree. In my Opinion, the highest Friendship must always lead us to the
highest Pleasure.«
    Here Amelia entered into a long Dissertation on Friendship, in which she
pointed several Times directly at the Colonel as the Hero of her Tale.
    The Colonel highly applauded all her Sentiments; and when he could not avoid
taking the Compliment to himself, he received it with a most respectful Bow. He
then tried his Hand likewise at Description, in which he found Means to repay
all Amelia's Panegyric in Kind. This tho' he did with all possible Delicacy; yet
a curious Observer might have been apt to suspect that it was chiefly on her
Account that the Colonel had avoided the Masquerade.
    In Discourses of this Kind they past the Evening, till it was very late, the
Colonel never offering to stir from his Chair before the Clock had struck one;
when he thought, perhaps, that Decency obliged him to take his Leave.
    As soon as he was gone, Mrs. Atkinson said to Mrs. Booth, »I think,
