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,,Indeed, Sír, you did; you cúrft hím twice. Then may heaven forgive me and him if did. 'And now, mỳ fón, I fée it was mor than human benévolence that firft taught ús blefs ur enemies! Bléft bè hís holy name f all the good hè háth given, and for all th he hath taken awày. But it is not, ít ís m à fmall diftrefs that can wing tears from the old eyes, that have n't wept for fò years. My child! To undo my darling! My conffron féize! Heaven forgive in what am I about to fay! You remember, m lóve, hów godd fhe was and hów charming till this vile moment all her care was to mak ús happy. Hád fhe but died: But she is gone the honour of our family contaminated, and ánd múlt look out for happinefs in other world thán hère. Bút, my child, you faw thes gò off: perhaps he forced her away? 'If h forced her, fhè may yet be innocent." nò, Sir!" cried the child;,,hè ònly killer hér, ánd called her his angel, and fhe wep véry much, and leaned upón hís árm, án they drove off very fáft.",,She's án ungrate ful creature," cried my wife, who could fcarce fpeak for weeping,,, to ùfe ús thús, Shi never had the leaft constraint put upón he affections. The vile ftrumpet hás bafely de férted her parents without any provocation thus to bring your grey hairs to the grave ánd 'I múst shortly follow."

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In this manner that night, the firft of ou réal misfortunes, was fpént in the bitternest of complaint, and ill fuppòrted fállies of en thufiafm. I determined, however, to find but our betrayer, wherever he was, and re proach his bafeness. The next morning wi

125 miffed our wretched child át breakfast, where fhe fed to give life and chèarfulness to ús áll. My wife, as before, attempted to eafe hér heart by reproaches. ,,Néver," "crìed fhè, fhall that vileft stain of our family agáin dáren thofe hármlefs doors, I will never call er daughter more. No, let the ftrumpet live with hér vile fedùcer: fhè mày bring us to hame, bút fhè fhall never more deceive ús."

دوو

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„Wife," fáid 'I, „dỏ nót tálk thús hárdly: my deteftation of hér guilt ís ás great as yours; but ever fháll this houfe and this heart be pen to à poor returning repéntant fínner. The fooner the returns from hér tranfgreffion, he more welcome fháll fhè be to me. Fór the first time the very best mày érr; árt mày perfuade, and novelty fpréad out its charm. The firft fault is the child of fimplícity; bút every other the ófffpring of guilt. Yes, the wretched creature Tháll be welcome to this heart and this house, though stained with ten thoufand vices. 'I will again hearken to the mùfic óf hér voice, agáin will I háng fondly on hér bófom, if I find bút repentance there. My fón, bring hither my bible and my ftáff; I will purfùe hér, wherever fhè ís, and though I cannot fave her fróm fhame, I mày prevent the contínuance óf iniquity."

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The pursuit of à father to reclaim à loft child tỏ

virtue.

Tho' the child could not defcribe the gentleman's perfon who handed his fifter into the

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pòft chaife, yet my fufpicions féll entirely upón óur young landlord, whofe character fói fuch intrigues was but too well known. therefore directed my steps towards Thornhil cáftle, refolving to upbraid hím, ánd, íf póf fible, to bring back my daughter: bút before I had reached his feat, I was met by ón of my parífhioners, who fáid he saw a young lady refémbling my daughter ín à pòft chaife with a gentleman, whom, by the defcríption 'I could only guess to be Mr. Búrchell, and that they drove very fáft. This information however, did by no means fátisfy me. I there fore went to the young 'Squire's and though it was yet early, infifted upon feeing him immediately: hè foon appeared with the mol open famíliar àir, and feemed perfectly amazed á my daughter's elopement, protéfting upá hís honour that he was quite à ftranger to it 'I nów therefore condénned my former fufpicions, and could túrn thém ònly ón M'r. Bur chell, who I recollected hád óf làte févera private cónferences with hér: but the appear ance of another witness left me nò room to doubt of his villainy, who averred, that he ánd my daughter wère actually gone towards the Wells c), about thirty miles off, where there was a great deal of company. Being driven to that state of mind in which we áre mòre ready to áct precipitately than to reason right, I never debated with myfélf, whether thefe accounts might nót háve been given by

c) Welles oder Wels, kleine Stadt in Somerfetfhire, wit Gefundbädern. In unferer Stelle ift Wells wohl nicht ein eigener, fondern ein Gattungsname, und bezeichnet überhaupt Bäder.

perfons púrpofely placed in mỳ wày, tỏ mislead me, but refólved to purfùe my daughter and hér fancied delùder thither. I walked along with éarneftness, and enquired of feveral by the way; bút received nò accounts, tíll entering the town, I was met by à pérfon ón hórfeback, whom I remembered to have feen át thẻ Squire's, and he affùred me, that if I followed hem to the races d), which were but thirty niles farther, 'I might depend upon overtaking hem; fór hè hád feèn théin dance there the ght before, and the whole affémbly feemed harmed with my daughter's performance. Early the next day 'I walked forward to the aces, and about four in thẻ áfternoon I came pon the courfe e). The cómpany made à véry rilliant appearance, áll éarneftly employed in ne purfuit, thát óf pleafure; how different mm mine, thát of reclaiming a l6ft child tỏ irtue! I thought I perceived M'r. Burchell fome diftance from mè; bút, ás íf hè dréaled án ínterview, upón my approaching hím, e mixed among à crowd, and I faw him no nore. I nów reflécted that it would be to

d) race, das Pferderennen. Eine sehr genaue Beschreibung * diefer Luftbarkeit findet der Lejer in (Küttner's) Beiträgen zur Kenntnis vorzüglich des Innern von England und feiner Einwohner, im aten Stück, S. 68. Wir begnügen uns hier zu bemerken, dafs in den meisten aufehnlichen Orten Englands jahrlich ein Pferderennen gehalten wird, unter welchen das zu Newmarket einer Stadt in Suffolk), in Ipswich gleichfalls in Suffolk belegen), und xx Ascot (oder Ascotheath, in der Nahe von London), am meiften befucht wird.

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e) course ist hier daffelbe, was sonst race-ground bedentet, der Ort, wo das Pferderennen gehalten wird.

no púrpofe to contínue my purfùit farther, and refolved to return home. tó án ínnocent family, who wanted my aflíftance. But the agitations óf my mind, and the fatigues I hád undergóne, threw me into à fèver, the fýmptoms of which I perceived before I came off the courfe This was another unexpécted ftròke, ás 'I wa more than féventy miles distant fróm hòme; however, I retired to à little àle- hóufe by the road fide, and in this place, the ùfual retreat of indigence and frugality, 'I laid me down patiently to wait the íffue of my difórder I lánguifhed hère fór near three weeks; but át láft my conftitution prevailed, though I was unprovided with money to defray the expences of my entertainment. It is póflible the anxiety from this láft círcumftance alone might have brought ón à relápfe, hád I not been fupplied by à tráveller, who stópt to take à cúrforý re fréfhment. This perfon was nó óther than the philanthropic book féller ín S't. Paul's Church yárd f), who has written fò mány little books. for children: hè called himfélf their friend; bút he was the friend óf áll mankind. He was no fooner alighted, bút he was in halte to be gone; fór he was ever ón büfinefs of the útmost importance, ánd wás át thát tìme ác tually compiling matèrials for the history of óne M'r. Thomas Tríp g). I immediately recollec ted

f) Goldsmith meint den Buchhändler John Newbery, welcher auf St. Paul's Churchyard in London wohnte, und durch mehrere zweckmässige Kinderschriften, die er herausgegeben hat, bekannt ift. Der Dichter Smart hatte eine Tochter deffelben geheirathet.

g) Thomas Trip, Titel eines Buchs im kleinsten Format, welches die abentheuerlichen und komischen Begebenhei

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