them—For however, said he, my christianity may incline me to a perfect faith in the efficacy of divine grace, one is naturally apt to suspect your extempore converts, especially where the reformation seems, as in this case, to have been brought about by the necessity of some present urgency.
He concluded then, that my father's scheme, in carrying my mother and me out of the kingdom, must be to separate us from the advice or assistance of whatever friends we might have here, and that being bereft of the protection of English laws, he meant to shut us up

in a convent together, for life, upon some forged pretence or other; which would leave him at liberty to return in triumph home again, and complete his base purpose with his new mistress at Exeter.
That very day doctor N— gave my mother a regular certificate of her marriage, signed by himself, as the clergyman who had performed the ceremony, referring to the 
The next day my father came to the house, with a carriage to convey us off

privately, through the country, to Weymouth, where he told us he had prepared a ship to sail over directly to the continent. My mother made no reply, but wept, and quitted the room, to leave Dr. N— at liberty to explain the reason of her silence and sorrow.
Their conversation was warm, but short—The doctor made remonstrances to him upon his behaviour, both from religion, morals, and the laws; which my father resented with the highest intemperance, declaring that he had happily one way still left, to screen himself from persecution and prosecution both, and then rushed out of the house; which expression was, soon after, more fully explained, by hearing that he had gone off to France, whither no legal process could pursue him,

These transactions were kept a perfect secret from me for several years—My fond mother thought it too soon for me to become acquainted with affliction, and our worthy protector had also conceived a certain delicate idea, about me, with regard to vice—His opinion was certainly just, that the longer young people are kept ignorant of it, the safer for their morals—Purity of thought, and innocence of action, should be suffered to gain strength by habit, before they know that there is such a thing as wickedness in human nature—The shock and abhorrence will be the greater on the first instance, and the danger of example less.
Doctor N— kept us with him, and supported us out of his own fortune, while my poor mother lived, or rather

languished, which she did for about two years, and