28 The Lord of Crequi. lier addreffes him in a tone of fenfibility, not without fome degree of pleafantry: Yes, my dear Renti, I am Crequi. 1 am fo much altered by my fufferings, that you cannot recollect me; but my heart is ever the fame; and I truft that you will be gallant enough to leave me my wife." Renti, aftonished, confufed, flies to this dear relation :-"It is you, my dear Chevalier! Adelaide is too virtuous not to tell you the whole truth; you will be informed that I loved her long before fhe was your wife, and I fhall love Her to the last moment of my life. The defire to maintain her rights and those of your fon-of all that was dear to you to refcue them from the tyranny of a vile ufurper, has influenced my conduct no lefs than love. Once more I appeal to the generofity of Adelaide. I have merited her efteem and yours. My dear Crequi, I reftore her to your arms: I demand no other proofs of gratitude, than the fentiments that are due to me. You will both permit me then to continue your most faithful and difinterefted friend. My dear Chevalier," he continued, "the feaft was ready." It is ftill my happiness we fhall celebrate-it is the happiness of Crequi, the deareft and best of friends." " The happy husband of Adelaide is penetrated by the' magnanimity of his rival :-" My Lord of Renti, fear not on my fide an unworthy jealoufy, which is neither made for Adelaide nor mne. In her virtue and your delicate honour, I have a fufficient fecurity. Next to her hufband I defire that the may re gard you with the greatest tender hefs. Can I yield to you in gene. rofity and friendship ?" Crequi now retires to drefs him; self in a manner more conformable to his new fituation. The banquet was worthy of the occafion. The Chevalier, like another Æneas, related his adventures. The whole company feel the different revólu. tions by which he had been agitated. Some tears were shed, but were foon loft in the tranfports of univerfal joy. Baldwin and his partizans had vanished from the Caftle. Crequi, în the sequel, had fo much greatness of mind, as to receive his excuses, and to pardon him. All around experienced his benevolence and liberality. The wood cleaver was nobly rewarded ; nor was the faithful dog forgotten. The grateful care of his old matter prolonged his life. With regard to the venerable Banneret, the re turn of his fon had excited fuch a yiolent emotion, that he did not long furvive this unexpected event. He expired in the arms of the Che valier, repeating, "I have now nothing more to live for; God has heard my prayers; I have seen my fon again; his hand will close my eyes."--Crequi long deplored his death: he founded a monaftery to his honour: he even repaired and beautified those which had been erected by his ancestors; and had the fatisfaction of living to an extreme old age with his dear Ade laide. Their tenderness continued undiminished to the grave. Their ev'ning came at laft, ferene and mild; "Enamour'd more as more remem brance fwell'd a With many a proof of recollected love, "Together down they funk in focial fleep; Alew "Together freed, their gentle spirits To fcenes where love and blifs immortal reign." The History of Mifs Williams. IN N July, 1773, fome business cal; ling me to London, I took a lodging in the houfe of Mr. Malon, a reputable tradefman near Charing cross in this houfe I occupied the middle apartment, and frequently heard the not unpleafing found of a light female footstep on the floor above me, and on the stair. cafe, Good manners forbade my opening my chamber door, to in dulge my curiofity with a fight of my fellow-lodger; but chance foon gratified my wish, by my accidentally coming in at the treet-door as he was ftepping out. There: was fomething uncommonly in teresting in the appearance of this young perfon, exclufive of either youth or beauty, though the pofs feffed them both, not being above: eighteen years old, and very hand fome. It proceeded from a look of diffidence, and an unfashioned air, which denoted her to be unpractifed in the arts or habits of the world. She paffed along, and I entered my landlady's parlour, impelled by an earnest defire to know fome thing more of the fair vifion which had glided by me.-Mrs. Mafon readily informed me of all the knew relative to this young woman, whose name the faid was Williams; that the had been recommended to her by a person whom she had for merly known, and who had kept a little fchool at Horfham, in Suf fex: that fhe liad lodged and boarded with her about four months, paying regularly for her entertainment at the end of the week; that he never went out, but to church, which the daily frequented, or to take a walk round the Park that no creature had 29 come to visit her, nor had even a letter been directed to her, fince she had been under her roof; that he was of a grave, but not of a melancholy caft, worked well at her needle, feeined fond of read. ing, and fometimes fung sweetly in her own chamber, when the thought no one could hear her; that the often declined accompany ing her to the public gardens, nor could ever be prevailed upon to fit five minutes at a time in the hop; that fhe fometimes men. tioned her having a friend in the country, whom he much wished to fee, but did not, expect that pleafure foon, From this account I found it im poffible to form any reasonable conjecture with regard to the real fituation of the young woman. Her forlorn and friendlefs ftate, might induce a belief of her being one of thofe unhappy females who have been feduced from the foster-, ing arms of paternal affection, and kept fecluded from the world to gratify the fufpicious temper of her betrayer, who, confcious of his de figning to abandon her, might na turally fufpect her fidelity to him. But in fuch a cafe the abfence from her friends would be a fource of forrow; and Mifs Williams was not fad; her confinement, too, was voluntary, and her conftant atten dance on the fervice of the church fpoke a mind devoid of guilt, or its attendant, fhame. If the were, privately married, her husband would either write, or come to her, and he would neceffarily bewail his abfence; and if she was what the appeared to be, a virtuous fingle woman, it was almoft impoffible fhe fhould be fo totally unconnec ted with the whole world, as not to have one friend or correfpondent in it. In fhort, after puzzling myself, in' vain, about this fair mystery,I gave 30 The Hiftory of Mifs Williams. up all hopes of being able to unra vel her destiny, and endeavoured to banish her intirely out of my mind; when one evening a loud rapping at the door, and the entrance of a perfon in a fedan chair, who inquired for Mifs Williams, revived mine and my landlady's curiosity, who flew out of her parJour, and lighted up a gentleman nearly of my own age to her young inmates apartment, and putting out her own candle, and gently ftep ping into a closet adjoining to Mifs Williams's room, fat herfelf down to listen to the conversation. In about three quarters of an hour, I was furprised and fhocked at hearing a fudden noife, like that of an heavy weight tumbling on the floor, which was inftantly followed by a loud and piercing fhriek, and almost as fuddenly echoed by Mrs. Mafon from her concealment, which the now quit ted, and called out for help for the dead gentleman. On this alarm, I flew up ftairs, and found the dif confolate Mifs Williams kneeling on the ground, with a ghaftly af pect, and vainly endeavouring to raife a lifelefs body, whofe weight feemed too ponderous for her ftrength. I aided her with all of mine; and our landlord coming to our affiftance, we with fome diffi culty laid the corpfe, for fuch it now was, upon the bed. My fervant was inftantly difpatched for a furgeon, who arrived in a few minutes. During this interval, the unhappy girl fhewed every fymptom of the deepest for row; the fixed her eyes upon the lifeless form that lay before her, and exclaimed, "Oh! he is gone! my father, friend, and benefactor!" At the fame time, drops, chafing, fprinkling of water, and every other means, were ufed to call Back the parting fpirit which had fo lately left its long accustomed manfion. But when the furgeon had vainly tried to make the itagnated blood flow from the opened vein, and steadily pronounced that life was fled, distraction feized on the now wretched maid; the tore her hair, beat her breaft, and hardly was with-held from doing violence to herself. At length, quite over come by the too ftrong exertion of her paffions, fhe fainted quite away, from whence fhe was reco. vered to a ftate of languid ftupe. faction, and seemed infenfible to all around her. In this melancholy fituation she was conveyed into my› apartment, where I left her with Mrs. Mason, and returned up stairs to have a confultation with the man of the houle and the furgeon, to determine in what manner to proceed, on this extraordinary event. My landlord had already fearched the pockets of the deceased, but found neither letter, or addrefs of any kind, that could indicate who he was. In his pocket-book there. were Bank of England bills to the amount of two hundred pounds, one-half of which were endorfed, in a very particular hand-writing, Mary Williams. We all remained totally at a lofs in what manner to proceed, when my landlord, who was extremely anxious for the credit of his houfe, and of course unwilling that a co roner's inquest should be held there, obferved, that his wife must know more of the matter than we, as the had been liftening to all the dif courfe that paffed between the de. ceafed and Mifs Williams, previous to his death, Mrs. Maton was accordingly fummoned from her attendance on the afflicted fair one, and questioned with regard to what he had difcovered in her auditory; but all our inquiries were fruitless: fhe faid Mifs Williams only called him Sir, and addressed The Hiftory of Miss Williams. him with the respectful manners of an affectionate daughter; while he feemed to treat her with the familar tenderneís of a fond and long-abfent father. As my landlady's information did not fuggeft. the leaft rule for our conduct in the prefent difficult crifis, her husband infifted on her endeavouring to perfuade Mifs Williams to acquaint her with the name and abode of the deceafed, that he might be conveyed home that night, and fave them any fur ther trouble; but after all her moft earnest enquiries, the received no reply from the almoft petrified Mifs Williams, but, "Alas! I know not." I confess I was startled at fuch an anfwer, and began to fear her reafon was difordered by the fhock her fenfibility moft have received from the fudden death of one whom I confidered as her parent or guardian. I therefore advised her being immediately let blood, and fuffered to give full vent to her forrows, without being interrupted or importuned for the prefent, by any farther questions. With much difficulty I obtained a promife of profound filence from Mrs. Mafon, and leaving the fair mourner in poffeffion of my apartment, took a bed at the Hummums, On my return home in the morn. ing, I found the fearchers had en• tered Mr. Mafon's houfe, and a very riotous mob was gathered round it, who threatened to pull it down, if they were not fuffered to fee the corple of the man whom they faid he had murdered. When I had made my way through the croud, I found both Mr. and Mrs. Mafon in the utmost distress, not knowing how to act, as Mifs Wil liams, though to all appearance in her perfect fenfes, perfifted ftill in denying her having any knowledge of the name, family, profeffion, or 31 abode, of her deceafed friend, fay ing only that he had been her be nefactor from her earliest years and that he had no other friend but him. I then took upon me to perfuade her to be fo far communicative with regard to her departed friend as might relieve the people of the houfe from the irkiomeness of their fituation, and to relate by what chance the became acquainted with her benefactor. I framed my addrefs towards the weeping maid with all the foftness and gelene fs I could poffibly affume: the heard me patiently, and even seemed to fupprefs her fighs, and ttop her flowing tears, to liften to my fpeech; and when I had ceased fpeaking, the rofe, and with a look of the most perfect innocence, and all the firmness which attends on truth, replied to my question in the following words "The deepest trace that remains upon my memory, with regard to my existence, is, that I was placed, when a child, in a very wretched houfe at Guildford, under the eare of a parish-nurse, who treated me moft inhumanly. I had one day given fome of my breakfaft to a little kitten that cried for hunger ; which fo enraged this brutal woman, that the fell upon and beat me most unmercifully. "It happened, that at that mo• ment, my ever dear benefactor paf. fing by, and hearing my fhrieks, humanely ftept in and rescued me from the hands of my tyrant. Be. had justice enough to inquire into the caufe of her feverity, and en being informed of it, became more interefled in my favour. He let me on one of his knees, and placed the kitten on the other; and when 1 ftroked it, and subbed out, “Ah poor puffy !" he caught me in his arms, and feemed delighted with the tenderness of my expreffion to The Hiftory of Mifs Williams. ufual time, which was generally the end of July, or beginning of Auguft. 32 the innocent caufe of my fufferings. He gave the nurse a proper reproof, and bade her to take care of the child and the cat, and he For the last three years I would call to fee them again in a fpent at Horsham, I was continu few days, ally refolving that the next time I faw my friend, I would inquire his name, and how I became in titled to his goodness? But the moment I beheld him my refolution vanished. No words can ever defcribe the respectful tendernels I felt for him; and I fhould readily have perfuaded myfelf that it was filial love, if I had not ever recollected the particular circumftances which had firft in. troduced me to his notice. Fatal timidity, which has left me as totally ignorant of every thing that relates to myself, as I am of my patron's name or family! "When he left me, I thought my little heart flew after him, and his idea was never abfent from my mind. could not then be above four years old, and yet I think if I had never feen him more, I never should have forgot him, His was the first voice that had ever foothed my infant ear with the foft founds of fondness. In about ten days he returned, and brought an order to the nurse to deliver me to him, which the most unwillingly obeyed; but pofitively refufed to let me take the half-starved kitten with me, unless he would pay her a guinea for it; he complied with her exorbitant demand, and fo rendered two little animals happy. "From this scene of mifery I was conveyed to a very decent houfe at Horsham, and treated with the utmoft kindness by the perfon to whofe care I was entrufted I remained three years, during which time I faw my be. nefactor but thrice. At the expiration of that time, I was removed to a school in the fame town, kept by two filters of the name of Tyrrel, and there I continued till the elder of them died, and the ichool was broke up The youngeft filter then brought me to this houfe, and recommended me to the care of Mrs, Mason. "During the ten years I lived with thefe good women, I received an annual vifit from my friend. I found he always paid a year before hand for me, and left ten guineas in the hands of one of my mif. treffes, exclufive of my common expences for clothes, and other neceffaries, in cafe I fhould be fick, or he should fail to come at his "The good Mrs. Tyrrel, when fhe left me in this houfe, gave me about forty pounds, which the faid belonged to me, as it was the furplus of the money that had been left in her hands for my ufe. She bid me keep up my fpirits, and faid when my father (for fo the always called him) came to Horfham, fhe would let him know where he had placed me. The good woman lived to fulfil her promife; for my departed friend informed me, last night, that the died about a week after he saw her last. "I have now, Sir, related every circumftance with which I am acquainted, relative to my more than father, and my unhappy felf. I implore your advice in the prefent crifis. With regard to his dear res mains, let them be treated with that refpect I owed him living; and the laft farthing I am mistress of, fhall be expended for the pians purpose. I am, thank heaven and my departed friend, who had taken care to provide me with a proper education, well qualified to get my |