 had so ill answered the expectation to which your acquaintance, interesting

tho' short, had given birth; for he confessed that he had been indefatigable in his enquiries about you, tho' very fruitless you may believe they must have proved; and tho' I understood the hint in this avowal; I did not think myself at liberty to satisfy his curiosity, and therefore let it pass unnoticed.
He owns, however, that these unjust surmizes received some degree of credibility from meeting you a few days after, accompanied by this same audacious young man, who put you into a chair, unattended by your servant, at the door of your former lodgings; but this part of his information I persisted in averring was impossible, and that he must have mistaken some other person for you.
Oh it was me indeed, cried I, and the rencontre you may be certain gave me equal pain and terror: nor should I have concealed it for a moment, had not the wretch extorted a promise which fear

alone persuaded me to grant him never to divulge it to you.
Good heaven! how did the scoundrel contrive to meet with you?
Through the connivance of that wicked woman, said I. But as my promise, tho' constrained, remains still in force, except as to that part of it which chance has informed you, I am not at liberty to give you the particulars, neither are they at all necessary; since I hope in God, as the wretch is quite undeceived in regard to my character, I have nothing now to alarm me except the persecution of solicitation, which I hope by sedulously avoiding him to escape.
Mr. Howard's mild countenance reddened with indignation at this account, which quickly infused an apprehension into my mind, that under the character of our guardian he might think it necessary to resent my affronts. The instant this idea struck me, I softened as much

as possible what I had just been acknowledging, and assured him that during our last interview Farnford had appeared so much piqued and offended at my unconquerable reserve, that I had reason to flatter myself I should be tormented by him no more; and added, that when I was entirely in his power, all he had asked was forgiveness, and permission to visit me, having repeatedly sworn that an injurious suspicion of my character had alone given rise to a conduct which he now sincerely abjured, and of which he heartily repented.
Let him then testify his concern and regret as he ought, by avoiding your presence, said Mr. Howard. Had I known the other day that I was at
