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dear children, I am very well again; indeed I am. You must now go to bed; Mrs. Susan will be so good as to put you to bed.'

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But why doth not papa love us?' cries the little boy; I am sure we have none of us done any thing to disoblige him.'

This innocent question of the child so stung Amelia, that she had the utmost difficulty to prevent a relapse. However, she took another dram of wine; for so it might be called to her, who was the most temperate of women, and never exceeded three glasses on any occasion. In this glass she drank her children's health, and soon after so well soothed and composed them, that they went quietly away with Mrs. Susan.

The maid, in the shock she had conceived at the melancholy, indeed frightful scene, which had presented itself to her at her first coming into the room, had quite forgot the letter, which she held in her hand. However, just at her departure, she recollected it, and delivered it to Amelia; who was no sooner alone than she opened it, and read as follows:

MY DEAREST SWEETEST LOVE,

I WRITE this from the bailiff's house, where I was formerly, and to which I am again brought at the suit of that villain Trent. I have the misfortune to think I owe this accident (I mean, that it happened to-night) to my own folly, in endeavouring to keep to keep a secret from you-O my dear! had I had resolution to confess my crime to you, your forgiveness would, I am convinced, have cost me only a few blushes, and I had now been happy in your arms. Fool that I was, to leave you on such an account, and to add to a former transgression a new one!-Yet, by Hea

⚫vens! I mean not a transgression of the like kind; for of that I am not, nor ever will be guilty; and when you know the true reason of my leaving you to-night, I think you will pity, rather than upbraid me. I am sure you would, if you knew the compunction with which I left you to go to the most worthless, the most infamous -Do guess the rest-guess that crime with which I cannot stain my paper-but still believe me no more guilty than I am-or, if it will lessen your vexation at what hath befallen me, believe me as guilty as you please, and think me, for a while at least, as undeserving of you, as I think myself. This paper and pen are so bad, I question whether you can read what I write; I almost doubt whether I wish you should. Yet this I will endeavour to make as legible as I can

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Be comforted, my dear love, and still keep up your spirits with the hopes of better days. The doctor will be in town to-morrow, and I trust on *his goodness for my delivery once more from this place, and that I shall soon be able to repay him. That Heaven may bless and preserve you, ⚫ is the prayer of,

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• My dearest love,

6 Your ever fond, affectionate,

' and hereafter, faithful husband,
• W. BOOTH.'

Amelia pretty well guessed the obscure meaning of this letter, which though, at another time, it might have given her unspeakable torment, was at present rather of the medicinal kind, and served to allay her anguish. Her anger to Booth too began a little to abate, and was softened by her concern for his misfortune. Upon the whole, however, she passed a miserable and sleepless night, her gentle

mind torn and distracted with various and contending passions, distressed with doubts, and wandering in a kind of twilight, which presented her only objects of different degrees of horror, and where black despair closed at a small distance the gloomy prospect.

AMELIA.

BOOK XII.

CHAP. I.

The Book begins with Polite History.

BEFORE we return to the miserable couple,

whom we left at the end of the last book, we will give our reader the more cheerful view of the gay and happy family of colonel James.

Mrs. James, when she could not, as we have seen, prevail with Amelia to accept that invitation, which, at the desire of the colonel, she had so kindly and obediently carried her, returned to her husband, and acquainted him with the ill success of her embassy; at which, to say the truth, she was almost as much disappointed as the colonel himself; for he had not taken a much stronger liking to Amelia than she herself had conceived for Booth. This will account for some passages, which may have a little surprised the reader in the former chapters of this history, as we were not then at leisure to communicate to them a hint of this kind; it was, indeed, on Mr. Booth's account that she had been at the trouble of changing her dress at the masquerade.

But her passions of this sort, happily for her, were not extremely strong; she was therefore easily

baulked; and as she met with no encouragement from Booth, she soon gave way to the impetuosity of Miss Matthews; and from that time scarce thought more of the affair, till her husband's design against the wife revived hers likewise; insomuch, that her passion was, at this time, certainly strong enough for Booth, to produce a good hearty hatred for Amelia, whom she now abused to the colonel in very gross terms, both on the account of her poverty and her insolence; for so she termed the refusal of all her offers.

The colonel seeing no hopes of soon possessing his new mistress, began, like a prudent and wise man, to turn his thoughts towards the securing his old one. From what his wife had mentioned, concerning the behaviour of the shepherdess, and particularly her preference of Booth, he had little doubt but that this was the identical Miss Matthews. He resolved therefore to watch her closely, in hopes of discovering Booth's intrigue with her. In this, besides the remainder of affection which he yet preserved for that lady, he had another view, as it would give him a fair pretence to quarrel with Booth; who, by carrying on this intrigue, would have broke his word and honour given to him. And he began now to hate poor Booth heartily, from the same reason from which Mrs. James had contracted her aversion to Amelia.

The colonel therefore employed an inferior kind of pimp to watch the lodgings of Miss Matthews, and to acquaint him if Booth, whose person was known to the pimp, made any visit there.

The pimp faithfully performed his office, and having last night made the wished-for discovery, immediately acquainted his master with it.

Upon this news, the colonel presently dispatched to Booth the short note which we have before seen. He sent it to his own house instead of Miss Matthews's, with hopes of that very accident which

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