Depend upon it, Yorick! faid DISCRETION, 'twill be faid you went off with a mistrefs, and came by affignation to Calais for that purpose.

-You can never after, cried Hy POCRISY aloud, fhew your face in the world or rife, quoth MEANNESS, in the church-or be any thing in it, faid PRIDE, but a loufy prebendary.

But 'tis a civil thing, said I— and as I generally act from the first impulfe, and therefore feldom liften to thefe cabals, which ferve no purpose, that I know of, but to encompass the heart with adamant-I turned instantly about to the lady

-But he had glided off unperceived, as the cause was pleading, and had made ten or a dozen paces down the ftreet, by the time I had made the determination; fo I fet off after her with a long ftride, to make her the propofal with the best addrefs I was mafter of; but obferving fhe walked with her cheek half refting upon the palm of her handwith the flow, fhort-meafur'd step of thoughtfulness, and with her eyes, as fhe went ftep by step, fix'd upon the ground, it ftruck me, fhe was trying the fame cause herself. God help her! faid I, fhe has fome mother-inlaw, or tartufish aunt, or nonsensical old woman, to. confult upon

2.

the oc

cafion,

cafion, as well as myfelf: fo not caring to interrupt the proceffe, and deeming it more gallant to take her at difcretion than furprife, I faced about, and took a fhort turn or two before the door of the Remife, whilft fhe walk'd mufing on one fide.

IN THE STREET.

HAVING,

CALAIS.

on first fight of the lady, fettled the affair in my

fancy, "that she was of the better "order of beings"-and then laid it down as a fecond axiom, as indifputable as the first, That she was a widow, and wore a character of distress -I went no further; I got ground enough for the fituation which pleafed me-and had fhe remained close befide my elbow till midnight, I fhould have held true to my system,

and confidered her only under that general idea.

She

She had fcarce got twenty paces diftant from me, ere fomething within me called out for a more particular enquiry-it brought on the idea of a further feparation-I might poffibly never fee her more-the heart is for faving what it can; and I wanted the traces thro' which my wishes might find their way to her, in case I should never rejoin her myfelf: in a word, I wish'd to know her name—her family's-her conditions; and as I knew the place to which fhe was going, I wanted to know from whence the came: but there was no coming at all this intelligence; a hundred little delicacies stood in the way. I form'd a fcore different plans-There was F 3

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