entertain him with topics they thought moft modern, while Mofes, on the contrary, gave him a queftion or two from the ancients, for which he had the fatisfaction of being laughed at. My little ones were no lefs bufy, and fondly ftuck close to the ftranger. All my endeavours could scarce keep their dirty fingers from handling and tarnishing the lace on his clothes, and lifting up the flaps of his pocket-holes, to fee what was there. At the approach of evening he took leave; but not till he had requested permiffion to renew his vifit, which, as he was our landlord, we most readily agreed to.

As foon as he was gone, my wife called a council on the conduct of the day. She was of opinion, that it was a moft fortunate hit; for that fhe had known even stranger things than that brought to bear. She hoped again to fee the day in which we might hold up our heads with the best of them; and concluded, the protested the could fee no reason why the two Miss Wrinklers fhould marry great fortunes, and her children get none. As this laft argument was directed to me, I protefted I could fee no reason for it neither, nor why Mr. Simpkins got the ten thousand pound prize in the lottery, and we fat down with a blank. I proteft, Charles,' cried my wife, this is the way you always damp my girls and me when we are in fpirits. Tell me, Soph, my dear, what do you think of our new vifitor? Don't you think he feemed to be good-natured?' Immenfely fo indeed, mamma,' replied the; I think he has a great deal to fay upon every thing, and is never at a lofs; and the more trifling the fubject, the more he has to say.'- -Yes,' cried Olivia, he ⚫ is well enough for a man; but for my part, I don't much like him, he is fo extremely impudent and familiar; but on the guitar he is fhocking.' Thefe two laft fpeeches I interpreted by contraries. I found by this, that Sophia internally defpifed, as much as Olivia fecretly admired him. Whatever may be your opinions of him, my children,' cried I, to confefs

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a truth, he has not prepoffeffed me in his favour. • Difproportioned friendships ever terminate in difguft and I thought, notwithstanding all his ease, that he seemed prefectly fenfible of the distance between us. Let us keep to companions of our own • rank. There is no character more contemptible than a man that is a fortune-hunter; and I can fee no reason why fortune-hunting women fhould not ⚫ be contemptible too. Thus, at beft, we fhall be contemptible if his views are honourable: but if they be otherwife! I fhould fhudder but to think of that! It is true, I have no apprehenfions from the ⚫ conduct of my children, but I think there are some from his character.'-I would have proceeded, but for the interruption of a fervant from the 'Squire, who, with his compliments, fent us a fide of venifon, and a promise to dine with us fome days after. This well-timed prefent pleaded more powerfully in his favour than any thing I had to fay could obviate. I therefore continued filent, fatisfied with just having pointed out danger, and leaving it to their own difcretion to avoid it. That virtue which requires to be ever guarded, is fcarce worth the centinel.

CHAP. VI.

The happiness of a country fire-fide.

S we carried on the former difpute with some degree of warmth, in order to accommodate matters, it was univerfally agreed that we fhould have a part of the venifon for fupper, and the girls undertook the talk with alacrity. I am forry,' cried I, that we have no neighbour or ftranger to take part in this good cheer: feafts of this kind acquire a double relish from hofpitality.'-' Bless • me,' cried my wife, here comes our good friend Mr. Burchell, that faved our Sophia, and that run you down fairly in the argument." - Confute You mistake

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me in argument, child!' cried I.

• there,

there, my dear. I believe there are but few that can do that I never difpute your abilities at making a goofe-pye, and I beg you'll leave argument to me.'-As I fpoke, poor Mr. Burchell entered the house, and was welcomed by the family, who fhook him heartily by the hand, while little Dick officiously reached him a chair.

I was pleased with the poor man's friendship for two reafons; because I knew that he wanted mine, and I knew him to be friendly as far as he was able. He was known in our neighbourhood by the character of the poor Gentleman that would do no good when he was young, though he was not yet thirty. He would at intervals talk with great good fenfe; but in general he was fondeft of the company of children, whom he used to call harmless little men. He was famous, I found, for finging them ballads and telling them stories; and feldom went out without fomething in his pockets for them, a piece of gingerbread, or an halfpenny whiftle. He generally came for a few days into our neighbourhood once a year, and lived upon the neighbours hofpitality. He fat down to fupper among us, and my wife was not fparing of her goofeberry wine. The tale went round; he fung us old fongs, and gave the children the story of the Buck of Beverland, with the history of Patient Griffel, the adventures of Catskin, and then Fair Rofamond's Bower. Our cock, which always crew at eleven, now told us it was time for repose; but an unforeseen difficulty started about lodging the ftranger: all our beds were already taken up, and it was too late to fend him to the next alehouse. In this dilemma, little Dick offered him his part of the bed, if his brother Mofes would let him lie with him; And I,' cried Bill, will give Mr. Burchell my part, if my fifters ⚫ will take me to theirs. Well done, my good children,' cried I; hofpitality is one of the first chriftian duties. The beast retires to its fhelter, and the bird flies to its neft; but helpless man can only find refuge from his fellow-creature. The greatest • ftranger

ftranger in this world was He that came to fave it. He never had an house, as if willing to fee what` hofpitality was left remaining amongst us. Beborah, my dear,' cried I to my wife, give those boys a lump of fugar each, and let Dick's be the largest, because he spoke first.'

In the morning early I called out my whole family to help at faving an after-growth of hay, and our gueft offering his affiftance, he was accepted among the number. Our labours went on lightly, we turned the fwath to the wind, I went foremost, and the rest followed in due fucceffion. I could not avoid, however, obferving the affiduity of Mr. Burchell in affifting my daughter Sophia in her part of the tafk. When he had finished his own, he would join in her's, and enter into a close converfation; but I had too good an opinion of Sophia's understanding, and was too well convinced of her ambition, to be under any uneafinefs from a man of broken fortune. When we were finished for the day, Mr. Burchell was invited as on the night before; but he refused, as he was to lie that night at a neighbour's, to whofe child he was carrying a whiftle. When gone, our conversation at fupper turned upon our late unfortunate guest. What a

ftrong inftance,' faid I, is that poor man of the • miferies attending a youth of levity and extravagance! He by no means wants fenfe, which only ferves to aggravate his former folly. Poor forlorn • creature! where are now the revellers, the flatterers, that he could once infpire and command? Gone, perhaps, to attend the bagnio pander, grown rich by his extravagance. They once praised him, and now they applaud the pander: their former raptures at his wit are now converted into farcafms at his folly he is poor, and perhaps deferves poverty; for he has neither the ambition to be independent, nor the skill to be ufeful.' Prompted perhaps by fome fecret reafons, I delivered this obfervation with too much acrimony, which my Sophia gently reproved. Whatfoever his former conduct may be, papa, his

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• circumstances should exempt him from cenfure now. His present indigence is a fufficient punishment for former folly; and I have heard my papa himself fay, that we should never ftrike one unneceffary blow at a victim over whom Providence holds the fcourge of its refentment.' You are right, Sophy, cried my fon Moses; and one of the ancients finely reprefents fo malicious a conduct by the attempts of a ruftic to flay Marfyas, whofe skin, the fable tells us, had been wholly ftript off by another. • Befides, I don't know if this poor man's fituation be fo bad as my father would reprefent it. We are not to judge of the feelings of others by what we might • feel if in their place. However dark the habitation of the mole to our eyes, yet the animal itself finds the apartment itfelf fufficient lightfome. And to confefs a truth, this man's mind feems fitted to his ftation; for I never heard any one more sprightly 'than he was to-day, when he converfed with you.' -This was faid without the least design; however, it excited a blush, which the ftrove to cover by an affected laugh, affuring him that the fcarce took any notice of what he faid to her; but that she believed he might once have been a very fine gentleman. The readiness with which the undertook to vindicate herfelf, and her blushing, were fymptoms I did not internally approve; but I repreft my fufpicions.

As we expected our landlord the next day, my wife went to make the venifon pafty; Mofes fat reading, while I taught the little ones: my daughters feemed equally bufy with the reft; and I obferved them for a good while cooking fomething over the fire. I at first fuppofed they were affifting their mother; but little Dick informed me in a whisper, that they were making a wash for the face. Washes of all kinds I had a natural antipathy to; for I knew that instead of mending the complexion they spoiled it. I therefore approached my chair by fly degrees to the fire, and grafping the poker as if it wanted mending, feem

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