 that one cannot look at her
without Pleasure.«
    This good Woman herself had none of these attractive Charms to the Eye. Her
Person was short, and immoderately fat; her Features were none of the most
regular; and her Complexion (if indeed she ever had a good one) had considerably
suffered by Time.
    Her good Humour and Complaisance, however, were highly pleasing to Amelia.
Nay, why should we conceal the secret Satisfaction which that Lady felt from the
Compliments paid to her Person? since such of my Readers as like her best will
not be sorry to find that she was a Woman.
 

                                  Chapter VIII

                          Containing various Matters.

A Fortnight had now past, since Booth had seen or heard from the Colonel; which
did not a little surprize him, as they had parted so good Friends, and as he had
so cordially undertaken his Cause concerning the Memorial, on which all his
Hopes depended.
    The Uneasiness which this gave him, farther encreased on finding that his
Friend refused to see him: for he had paid the Colonel a Visit at Nine in the
Morning, and was told he was not stirring; and at his Return back an Hour
afterwards, the Servant said his Master was gone out; of which Booth was certain
of the Falsehood: for he had, during that whole Hour, walked backwards and
forwards within Sight of the Colonel's Door, and must have seen him, if he had
gone out within that Time.
    The good Colonel however did not long suffer his Friend to continue in the
deplorable State of Anxiety; for the very next Morning Booth received his
Memorial inclosed in a Letter, acquainting him that Mr. James had mentioned his
Affair to the Person he proposed; but that the great Man had so many Engagements
on his Hands, that it was impossible for him to make any further Promises at
this Time.
    The cold and distant Stile of this Letter, and indeed the whole Behaviour of
James, so different from what it had been formerly, had something so mysterious
in it, that it greatly puzzled and perplexed poor Booth; and it was so long
before he was able to solve it, that the Reader's Curiosity will perhaps be
obliged to us for not leaving him so long in the dark as to this Matter. The
true Reason then of the Colonel's Conduct was this: His unbounded Generosity,
together with the unbounded Extravagance, and consequently the great Necessity
of Miss Mathews, had at length overcome the Cruelty of that Lady, with whom he
likewise had luckily no Rival. Above all, the Desire of being revenged on Booth,
