In the mean time, poor William was frightened out of
his senses, and, as much need as I had of spirits to sup-
port myself, I was obliged to employ them all to keep his
a little up. The misfortune I had now brought upon him,
endear'd him the more to me, and I could have joyfully suf-
fered any punishment he had not shared in. I water'd,
plentifully, with my tears, the face of the frightened youth,
who sat, not having strength to stand, as cold and as life-
less as a statue.
Presently Mr. H . . . comes in to us again, and made
us go before him into the dining-room, trembling and dread-
ing the issue. Mr. H . . . sat down on a chair whilst we
stood like criminals under examination; and beginning with
me, ask'd me, with an even firm tone of voice, neither soft
nor severe, but cruelly indifferent, what I could say for
myself, for having abused him in so unworthy a manner, with
his own servant too, and how he had deserv'd this of me?
Without adding to the guilt of my infidelity that of
an audacious defence of it, in the old style of a common
kept Miss, my answer was modest, and often interrupted by my
tears, in substance as follows: that I never had a single
thought of wronging him (which was true), till I had seen
him taking the last liberties with my servant-wench (here he
colour'd prodigiously), and that my resentment at that,
which I was over-awed from giving vent to by complaints, or
explanations with him, had driven me to a course that I did
not pretend to justify; but that as to the young man, he was
entirely faultless; for that, in the view of making him the
instrument of my revenge, I had down-right seduced him to
what he had done; and therefore hoped, whatever he deter-
mined about me, he would distinguish between the guilty and
the innocent; and that, for the rest, I was entirely at his
mercy.
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