" And, with that, pre-
sents me with a bill of arrears for rent, diet, apothecary's
charges, nurse, etc., sum total twenty-three pounds, seven-
teen and six-pence: towards discharging of which, I had not
in the world (which she well knew) more than seven guineas,
left by chance, of my dear Charles's common stock with me.
At the same time, she desir'd me to tell her what course I
would take for payment. I burst out into a flood of tears
and told her my condition; adding that I would sell what few
cloaths I had, and that, for the rest, I would pay her as
soon as possible. But my distress, being favourable to her
views, only stiffen'd her the more.
She told me, very coolly, that "she was indeed sorry for
my misfortunes, but that she must do herself justice, though
it would go to the very heart of her to send such a tender
young creature to prison . . ." At the word "prison!" every
drop of my blood chill'd, and my fright acted so strongly
upon me, that, turning as pale and faint as a criminal at
the first sight of his place of execution, I was on the
point of swooning. My landlady, who wanted only to terrify
me to a certain point, and not to throw me into a state of
body inconsistent with her designs upon it, began to soothe
me again, and told me, in a tone compos'd to more pity and
gentleness, that it would be my own fault, if she was forc'd
to proceed to such extremities; but she believ'd there was
a friend to be found in the world who would make up matters
to both our satisfactions, and that she would bring him to
drink tea with us that very afternoon, when she hoped we
would come to a right understanding in our affairs.
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