 set about proving her marriage, and by that means entitling me both to his name, and a proper provision from his fortune.
She soon found out that Doctor N—, the clergyman who had married her, lived in the parish of —, in this shire; and that my grandfather, old Mr. W—, had presented him to that living, which was incumbent on some part of my father's estate—She took me with her, and set out immediately for his house; which expedition she could easily make without her husband's knowledge, as they had seldom lived under the same roof together for some time past.

It is impossible to express this worthy man's surprise at the sight of my mother and me, as my father had informed him that she was dead above three years before, left no child, and earnestly requested him never to mention his having been married to her, as it could answer no end to her then, would certainly disoblige some of his relations, through whose assistance, he said, he had conceived reasonable hopes of strengthening his interest in the shire, and of improving his fortune.
As soon as my mother had acquainted him with her story, the good old man promised her to pay a visit, the next day, to my father, who had been his pupil at the university, and endeavour to influence him, by gentle means, to

do her the justice he owed her, rather than reduce her to the irksome necessity of exposing him and herself, by an appeal to some higher and more legal tribunal; assuring her, at the same time, that if his mediation should not be attended with that success which he wished, and had reason to expect from it, he would no longer hesitate a moment about proving the marriage, through all the forms of law.
My dear unhappy mother wept and thanked him, and the doctor, according to his promise, proceeded the next day to Castle W—, which is about ten miles from this village, being the mansion seat where my father then resided. It happened that he was from home, at the time the doctor went to his house;

and in the fullness of his zeal, he wrote him an admonitory letter upon this interesting subject, and returned much disappointed at not having seen him.
In a few days after this event, my father came to doctor N—'s, and endeavoured to make my mother's mind easy upon the equivocal appearances of his conduct towards her, imputing it all to the prudential reasons he had before mentioned to the doctor, in which he said
