 impossible to succeed; she thanked Heaven she understood
Breeding better than that. And so well bred was the good Woman, that we could
scarce get her out of the Room the whole Night. Luckily for us we both
understood French, by means of which we consulted together, even in her
Presence, upon the Measures we were to take in our present Exigency. At length,
it was resolved that I should send a Letter by this young Lad whom I have just
before mentioned, to our worthy Friend the Doctor, desiring his Company at our
Hut, since we thought it utterly unsafe to venture to the Town, which we knew
would be in an Uproar on our Account before the Morning.«
    Here Booth made a full Stop, smiled, and then said, he was going to mention
so ridiculous a Distress, that he could scarce think of it without laughing. -
What this was the Reader shall know in the next Chapter.
 

                                  Chapter VII

           The Story of Booth continued. More surprising Adventures.

»From, what Trifles, dear Miss Mathews,« cried Booth, »may some of our greatest
Distresses arise! Do you not perceive I am going to tell you we had neither Pen,
Ink, nor Paper in our present Exigency.
    A verbal Message was now our only Resource; however, we contrived to deliver
it in such Terms, that neither Nurse nor her Son could possibly conceive any
Suspicion from it of the present Situation of our Affairs. Indeed, Amelia
whisper'd me, I might safely place any Degree of Confidence in the Lad; for he
had been her Foster Brother, and she had a great Opinion of his Integrity. He
was in Truth a Boy of very good natural Parts; and Dr. Harrison, who had
received him into his Family, at Amelia's Recommendation, had bred him up to
write and read very well, and had taken some Pains to infuse into him the
Principles of Honesty and Religion. He was not, indeed, even now discharged from
the Doctor's Service; but had been at home with his Mother for some time on
Account of the Small-Pox, from which he was lately recovered.
    I have said so much,« continued Booth, of the Boy's Character, that you may
not be surprised at some Stories which I shall tell you of him hereafter.
    »I am going now, Madam, to relate to you one of those strange Accidents,
which are produced by such a Train of Circumstances, that mere Chance hath been
thought incapable of bringing them together; and which have therefore given
Birth
