the planter, "there is no denying that; but you must remember I have a son as well as a daughter to provide for, and he I intend to turn into the mercantile way as soon as he arrives safe from Virginia. I have, my lord," continued he, "a very large stock in trade there, as warehouses of tobacco, &c. lodged in the custom-houses of the ports, to the value of 7,000l., to which I will add 3,000l. in money, and I hope you will look upon that as a very competent estate; and when the young gentleman's fortune is joined to that, I believe he will be the richest man in the whole American colonies of his age." It was then considered between my lord and Thomas, that no woman with a quarter of that fortune, would venture herself over to the West Indies with a man that had ten times as much; 30 it being hinted to the planter that my lord had agreed to the proposals, they promised to meet the next morning to settle the affair. In the evening my lord, with Thomas in his company, hinted the above discourse to me. I was frightened almost out of my wits to think what a large sum of money had been laid out for my son; but kept what I thought to myself. It was agreed that my son was to marry the old planter's daughter, and a lawyer was sent for, with instructions to draw up all the writings for the marriage settlement, &c. and the next morning a messenger came from the planter with a note to my lord, letting him know, if it was not inconvenient, he would wait on his lordship to breakfast; he came soon after with a Dutch merchant of great estate, who was our neighbour at the Hague, where they settled every point in question, and the articles were all drawn up and signed by the several parties the next day before dinner. There was nothing now remaining but my son's departure to his new plantation in Virginia; great dispatch was made that he might be ready to sail in one of his own ships, and take the advantage of an English convoy, which was almost ready to sail. My lord sent several valuable presents to my son's lady, as did her father; and as I was at liberty in this case to do as I would, and knowing my lord had a very great value for my son, I thought that the richer my presents were, the more he would esteem me, (but there was nothing in it, the enmity he took against me had taken root in his heart) so I sent her a curious set of china, the very best I could buy, with a silver tea-kettle and lamp, tea-pot, sugar-dish, cream-pot, tea-spoons, &c. and as my lord had sent a golden repeater, I added to it a golden equipage, with my lord's picture hanging to it, finely painted. (This was another thing I did purposely to please him, but it would not do.) A few days after he came to take his leave of me, by my lord's order, and at my parting with him I shed abundance of tears, to think I was then in an almost strange place, no child that could then come near me, and under so severe a displeasure of my lord, that I had very little hopes of ever being friends with him again. My life did not mend after my son was gone, all I could do would not persuade my lord to have any free conversation with me; and at this juncture it was, that the foolish jade, Amy, who was now advanced in years, was eatched in a conversation with one of my lord's men, which was not to her credit; for it coming to his ears, she was turned out of the house by my lord's orders, and was never suffered to come into it again during his life-time, and I did not dare to speak a word in her favour, for fear he should retort upon me, like mistress like maid. I could hear nothing of Amy for the first three months after she had left me, till one day, as I was looking out of a dining-room window, I saw her pass by, but I did not dare ask her to come in, for fear my lord should hear of her being there, which would have been adding fuel to the fire; however, she looking up at the house saw me, I made a motion to her to stay a little about the door, and in the mean time, I wrote a note, and dropped it out of the window, in which I told her how I had lived in her absence, and desired her to write me a letter, and carry it the next day to my semptress's house, who would take care to deliver it to me herself. I told Isabel, that she should let me know when the milliner came again, for I had some complaints to her about getting up my best suit of Brussels lace night-clothes: on the Saturday following, just after I had dined, Isabel came into liner is in the parlour, will you be pleased to have my apartment. "My lady," says she, "the milto go down to her?"" Why, send her up, her sent up stairs, or will your ladyship be pleased Isabel," said 1, "she is as able to come to me, as I am to go to her, I will see her here.” When the milliner came into my chamber, I sent Isabel to my dressing-room to fetch a small parcel of fine linen which lay there, and in the into my pocket, and having pretended to be interim she gave me Amy's letter, which I pat dle Isabel brought, and bid her be sure to do angry about my linen, I gave her the small bunthem better for the future. She promised me she would, and went about her business, and when she was gone, I opened Amy's letter, and having read it, found it was to the following purpose, viz. That she had opened a coffee-house, and furnished the upper part of it to let out in lodgings, that she kept two maids and a man, but that the trade of it did not answer as she had reason to expect; she was willing to leave it off, and retire into the country to settle for the rest of her life; but was continually harassed by such disturbance in her conscience as made her unfit to resolve upon any thing, and wished there was a possibility for her to see me, that she might open her mind with the same freedom as formerly, and have my advice upon some particular affairs, and such like discourse. It was a pretty while before I heard from Amy again, and when I did, the letter was in much the same strain as the former, excepting that things were coming more to a crisis, for she told me in it, that her money was so out, that is, lent as ready money to traders, and trusted for liquors in her house, that if she did not go away this quarter, she should be obliged to run away the next. I very much lamented her unfortunate case, but that could be no assistance to her, as I had it not now in my power to see her when I would, or give her what I pleased, as it had always used to be; so all I could do was to wish || lordship, and one of the main things that did help her well, and leave her to take care of herself. About this time it was that I perceived my lord began to look very pale and meagre, and I had a notion he was going into a consumption, but did not dare tell him so, for fear he should say I was daily looking for his death, and was now overjoyed that I saw a shadow of it; nevertheless, he soon after began to find himself in a very bad state of health, for he said to me one morning, that my care would not last long, for he believed he was seized by a distemper it was impossible for him to get over. "My lord," said I, " you do not do me justice in imagining anything concerning me that does not tend to your own happiness, for if your body is out of order, my mind suffers for it. Indeed had he died then without making a will, it might have been well for me, but he was not so near death as that; and, what was worse, the distemper, which proved a consumption, (which was occasioned chiefly by much study, watchings, melancholy thoughts, wilful and obstinate neglect of taking care of his body, and such like things) held him nine weeks and three days after this, before it carried him off. He now took country lodgings, most delightfully situated, both for air and prospect, and had a maid and man to attend him; I begged on my knees to go with him, but could not get that favour granted; for, if I could, it might have been a means of restoring me to his favor, but our breach was too wide to be thoroughly reconciled, though I used all the endearing ways I had ever had occasion for, to creep into his favour. hasten his end; for he was observed, both by me and all his servants, to be more cast down at hearing of his losses, that were almost daily sent to him, than he was at what had happened be. tween him and me. Nothing could give more uneasiness than the damage our estate sustained by this traffic; he looked upon it as a mere misfortune that no person could avoid; but I, besides that, thought it was a judgment upon me, to punish me, in the loss of all my ill-got gain; but when I found that his own fortune began to dwindle as well as mine, I was almost ready to think it was possible his lordship might have been as wicked a liver as I had, and the same vengeance as had been poured upon me for my repeated crimes, might also be a punishment for him. As my lord's weakness increased, so his illtemper, rather than diminish, increased also; I could do nothing to please him, and began to think that he was only pettish because he found it was his turn to go out of the world first. A gentleman that lived near him, as well as his chaplain, persuaded him to have a physician, to know in what state his health was, and by all I could learn, the doctor told him to settle his worldly affairs as soon as he conveniently could; "For," says he, "although your death is not certain, still your life is very precarious." As his lordship was in a bad state of health, and had removed to a country lodging, his study and counting-house, as well as his other rooms, were locked and sealed up; all business was laid aside, excepting such letters as came to him, were carried to his lordship to be opened, read, and answered. I also went to see him morning and evening, but he would not suffer me to stay with him a single night; I might have had another room in the same house, but was not willing the people who kept it should know that there was a misunderstanding between us, so I contented myself to be a constant visitor, but could not persuade him to forgive me the denying of my daughter, and acting the part of Roxana, because I had kept those two things an inviolable secret from him, and everybody else but Before he went out of town, he locked and Amy, and it was carelessness in her conduct at sealed up every room in the house, excepting my last that was the foundation of all my future bed-chamber, dressing-room, one parlour, and all || misery. the offices and rooms belonging to the servants; and, as he had now all my substance in his power, I was in a very poor state for a countess, and began to wish, with great sincerity, that I had never seen him, after I had lived so happy a life as I did at the Quaker's; for notwithstanding our estates, joined together when we were first married, amounted to 3,3761. per annum, and near 18,000l. ready money, besides jewels, plate, goods, &c., of a considerable value, yet we had lived in a very high manner since our taking the title of earl and countess upon us; setting up a great house, and had a number of servants; our The first thing he did after this was to send equipage, such as coach, chariot, horses, and their for the son he had by me, from the university; attendants; a handsome fortune my lord had he came the week afterwards, and the tutor with given to my daughter, and a very noble one to my him, to take care of his pupil. The next day son, whom he loved very well, not for his being my after, my lord came home, and sending for six son, but for the courteous behaviour of him, in eminent men that lived at the Hague; he made never aspiring to anything above a valet, after he his will, and signed it in the presence of them knew who he was, till my lord made him his secre-all, and they, with the chaplain, were appointed tary, or clerk; besides all these expenses, my lord the executors of it, and guardians of my son. having flung himself into the trade to the Indies, As I was in a great concern at his making his both East and West, had sustained many great will unknown to me, and before we were friends, and uncommon losses, occasioned by his mer- I thought of it in too serious a manner not to chandize being mostly shipped in English bot-speak about it. I did not know where to apply toms, and that nation having declared war against first, but after mature consideration sent for the the crown of Spain, he was one of the first and chaplain, and he coming to me, I desired he greatest sufferers by that power; so that, on the would give me the best intelligence he could whole, our estate, which was as above, dwindled about it. My lady," said he, "you cannot be to about 1,000l. per annum, and our home stock, so unacquainted with the duty of my function, viz., about 17,000l., was entirely gone. This, I and the trust my lord has reposed in me, but you believe, was another great mortification to his must know I shall go beyond my trust in relating anything of that nature to you; all that I can say || on that head is, that I would have you make friends with my lord as soon as you possibly can, and get him to make another will, or else, take the best care of yourself as lies in your power; for I assure you, if his lordship dies, you are but poorly provided for. These last words of the chaplain's most terribly alarmed me; I knew not what to do, and, at last, as if I was to be guided by nothing but the furies, I went to his chamber; and after inquiring how he did, and hearing that he was far from well, I told him I heard he had made his will. 66 Yes," said he, "I have, and what then?" "Why, my lord," replied I, "I thought it would not have been derogatory to both our honours for you to have mentioned it to me before you did it, and have let me known in what manner you intended to settle your estate; this would have been but acting like a man to his wife, even if you had married me without a fortune; but as you received so handsomely with me, you ought to have considered it was my substance, as well as your own, that you were going to dispose of." cept it; I expect to be left in full possession of one half of your fortune, that I may live the remainder of my life like your wife."-" Madam," replied my lord, "you may expect what you please. If you can make it appear, since I found you out to be a jilt, that I have looked upon you as my wife, everything shall be altered and settled just as you desire, which might then be called your will; but as the case now stands, the will is mine, and so it shall remain." I thought I should have sunk when I had heard him make this solemn and premeditated declaration; I raved like a mad-woman, and, at the end of my discourse, told him, that I did not value what could happen to me, even if I was forced to beg my bread, for I would stand the test of my own character; and as I could get nothing by being an honest woman, so I should not scruple to declare, that the son you have left what you have to is a bastard you had by me several years before we were married. "Oh," says he, "madam, do you think you can frighten me? No, not in the least; for if you ever mention any thing of it, the title, as well as all the estate, will go to another branch My lord looked somewhat staggered at what of my family, and you will then be left to starve I had said, and pausing a little while, answered, in good earnest, without having the least glimpse that he thought, and also looked upon it as a of hope to better your fortune; for," added he, granted opinion, that after a man married a wo- "it is not very probable that you will be courted man, all that she was in possession of was his, for a wife by any man of substance at these excepting he had made a prior writing or settle-years; so if you have a mind to make yourself ment to her of any part or all she was then possessed of. "Besides, my lady," added he, "I have married both your children, and given them very noble fortunes, especially your son; I have also had great losses in trade, both by sea and land, since you delivered your fortune to me, and even at this time, notwithstanding the appearance we make in the world, I am not worth a third of what I was when we came to settle in Holland; and then, here is our own son shall be provided for in a handsome manner by me, for I am thoroughly convinced there will be but little care taken of him if I leave anything in your power for that purpose,-witness Thomas and Susanna." My lord," said I, "I am not come into your chamber to know what care you have taken of our child; I do not doubt but you have acted like a father by it; what I would be informed in is, what I am to depend upon in case of your decease, which I, however, hope, may be a great many years off yet?"-" You need not concern yourself about that," said he; " "your son will take care that you shall not want. But yet, I will tell you, too," said he, "that it may prevent your wishing for my death,-I have my will left all I am possessed of in the world to my son, excepting 1.500.; out of that, there is 5001, for you; 5001. among my executors, and the other 5007. is to bury me, pay my funeral expenses, and what is overplus I have ordered to be equally divided among my servants." When I had heard him pronounce these words I stared like one that was frightened out of his senses. "Five hundred pounds for me!" says I. Pray, what do you mean? What am I, that brought you so handsome a fortune, to be under the curb of my son, and ask him for every penny I want. No, sir," said I, "I will not ac easy in your present circumstances, you must rest contented with what I have left you, and not prove yourself a whore to ruin your child, in whose power will be to provide for you in a handsome manner, provided you behave yourself with that respect to him and me as you ought to do; for if any words arise about what I have done, I shall make a fresh will, and, as the laws of this nation will give me liberty, cut you off with a shilling." My own unhappiness, and his strong and lasting resentment, had kept me at high words, and flowing in tears, for some time, and as I was unwilling anybody should see me in that unhappy condition, I stayed coolly talking to him, till our son, who had been to several gentlemen's houses about my lord's business, came home, to tell his father the success he had met with abroad. He brought in with him bank-notes to the amount of 12,000., which he had received of some merchants he held a correspondence with, at which my lord was well pleased, for he was pretty near out of money at this juncture. After our son had delivered the accounts and bills, and had withdrew, I asked my lord, in a calm tone, to give me the satisfaction of knowing in what manner the losses he had complained to have suffered consisted. "You must consider, my lord," said I, "that according to what you have been pleased to inform me of, that we are upwards of 2,0001. per annum, besides about 17,000!. ready money, poorer than we were when we firstcame to settle in Holland." "You talk," replied my lord," in a very odd manner; do not you know that I had children of my own by a former wife, and of these I have taken so much care as to provide with very hand. some fortunes, which are settled irrevocably upon them; I have, Providence be thanked, given each of them 5,000l., and that is laid in East India || Stock, sufficient to keep them genteelly, above the frowns of fortune, and free from the fear of want. This, joined to the money I mentioned to you before, as losses at sea, deaths and bankruptcies, your children's fortunes (which are larger than my own children's), the buying the estate we live on, and several other things, which my receipts and notes will account for, as you may see after my decease; I have, to oblige you, on this head, almost descended to particulars, which I never thought to have done; but as I have, rest yourself contented, and be well assured, that I have not wilfully thrown any of your substance away." I could not tell what he meant by saying, he had not wilfully thrown any of my substance away; these words puzzled me, for I found by his discourse I was to have but 5001. of all I had brought him, at his decease, which I looked upon to be near at hand. I had but one thing that was any satisfaction to me, which was this, I was assured by him that he had not bestowed above the 15,000l. he mentioned to me, on his children by his former wife; and, on an exact calculation he made it appear, that he had bestowed on my son Thomas alone near 13,000l. in buying the plantation, shares in vessels, and merchandize, besides several valuable presents sent to his wife, both by him and me; and as for my daughter Susanna, she was very well married to a factor, with a fortune of 2,000l., which was a great sum of money for a woman to have, who was immediately to go to the East Indies; besides some handsome presents given to her both by him and me. In fact, her fortune was in proportion as large as her brother's, for there is but very few women in England or Holland with 2,000l. fortune, that would venture to the coast of Malabar, even to have married an Indian king, much more to have gone over with a person, that no one could tell what reception he might meet with, or might be recalled at the pleasure of the company upon the least distaste taken by the merchants against him; neither would I, though her own mother, hinder her voyage, for she had been the author of all the misfortunes that had happened to me, and if my speaking a word would have saved her from the greatest torment, I believe I should have been quite silent. And I have but one reason to allege for the girl's going so hazardous a voyage, which is, she knew that the match was proposed by my lord, and if he had not thought it would have been advantageous for her, he would never have given 2,000l. to her husband as a fortune; and again, as my lord was the only friend she had in our family, she was cunning enough to know that the bare disobliging of him would have been her ruin for ever after; to which I may add, that it is possible, as she had made so much mischief about me, she was glad to get what she could, and go out of the way, for fear my lord and I should be friends; which, if that had happened, she would have been told never to come to our house any more. As my lord's death began to be daily the discourse of the family, I thought that he might be more reconciled if I entered into the arguments again, pro and con, which we had together before; 66 I did so, but all I could say was no satisfaction, till I importuned him on my knees, with a flood of tears. Madam," said he, "what would you have me do?"-" Do, my lord," said I, "only be so tender to my years and circumstances, as to | alter your will, or, at least, add a codicil to it; I desire nothing more, for I declare I had rather be a beggar, than live under my child's jurisdiction." To this he agreed with some reluctance, and he added a codicil to his will. This pleased me greatly and gave me comfort, for I dreaded nothing so much, after all my high living, as being under any person, relation, or stranger, and whether they exercised any power over me or not. I saw the lawyer come out of the chamber first, but was above asking him any questions, the next were the executors and chaplain; I asked the last how they came to have words: he did not answer me directly, but begged to know whose pleasure it was to have the codicil annexed. "It was mine, sir," replied I, "and it made me very uneasy before I could have the favour granted."--He only replied, by saying, "Ah! poor lady, the favour, as you are pleased to term it, is not calculated for any benefit to you; think the worst you can of it." I was terribly uneasy at what the chaplain had said, but I imagined to myself that I could not be worse off than I thought I should be, before the codicil was annexed; and, as he withdrew without saying any more, I was fain to rest satisfied with what I had heard, and that amounted to nothing. The next day after this, the physicians that attended my lord, told him, it was time for him to settle his worldly affairs, and prepare himself for an hereafter. I now found all was over, and I had no other hopes of his life, than the physician's declaration of his being near his death. For it often happens that the gentlemen of the faculty give out that a man is near his death, to make the cure appear to be the effect of their great skill in distempers and medicine; as others when they cannot find out the real disease, give out that a man's end is near, rather than discover their want of judgment; and this I thought might be the case with our doctors of physic. Our son was still kept from the University, and lodged at the house of one of his future guardians; but when he heard that his father was so near his end, he was very little out of his presence, for he dearly loved him. My lord sent the day before his death, to lock and seal up all the doors in his dwelling-house at the Hague; and the steward had orders, in case of my lord's decease, not to let anybody come in, not even his lady (who had for some time lodged in the same house with her lord), without an order from the executors. The keys of the doors were carried to him, and as he saw his death approach, he prepared for it; and in fact, resigned up the keys of everything to the executors, and having bid them all a farewell, they were dismissed; the physicians waited, but as the verge of life approached, and it was out of their power to do him any service, he gave them a bill of 1001. for the care they had taken of him, and dismissed them. I now went into the chamber, and kneeling by 66 his bed-side, kissed him with great earnestness, and begged of him, if ever I had disobliged him in any respect, to forgive me. He sighed, and said, he most freely forgave me everything that I had reason to think I had offended him in; but, he added, If you had been so open in your conversation to me before our marriage as to discover your family and way of life, I know not but that I should have married you as I did; I might now have been in a good state of health, and you many years have lived with all the honours due to the Countess de Wintselsheim." These words drew tears from my eyes, and they being the last of any consequence he said, they had the greater impression upon me. He faintly bid me a long farewell, and said, as he had but a few moments to live, he hoped I would retire, and leave him with our son and chaplain. withdrew into my own chamber, almost drowned in tears, and my son soon followed me out, leaving the chaplain with his father, offering up his prayers to heaven for the receiving of his soul into the blessed mansions of eternal bliss. ecutors to be my late lord's property, which were worth, indeed, more than treble the sum I had left me. I immediately removed from the lodgings, and left them to bury the body when they thought proper, and retired to a lodging at a private gentleman's house, about a mile from the Hague. I was now resolved to find out Amy, being, as it were, at liberty; and accordingly went to the house where she had lived, and finding that empty, inquired for her among the neighbours, who gave various accounts of what had become of her; but one of them had a direction left at his house where she might be found. I went to the place and found the house shut up, and all the windows broken, the sign taken down, and the rails and benches pulled from before the door. II was quite ashamed to ask for ber there, for it was a very scandalous neighbourhood, and Icon. cluded that Amy had been brought to low circumstances, and had kept a house of ill-fame, and was either run away herself, or was forced to it by the officers of justice. However, as nobody A few minutes after, our son went into the knew me here, I went into a shop to buy some chamber with me again, and received his father's trifles, and asked who had lived in the opposite last blessing. The chaplain now saw him depart-house (meaning Amy's). Really, madam," says ing, and was reading the prayer ordered by the the woman, "I do not well know; but it was a church for that occasion; and while he was doing woman who kept girls for gentlemen; she went on it, my lord laid his head gently on the pillow, and in that wickedness for some time, till a gentleturning on his left side, departed this life with all man was robbed there of his watch and a diamond! the calmness of a composed mind, without so ring, on which the women were all taken up and much as a groan, in the fifty-seventh year of his committed to the house of correction; but the age. young ones are now at liberty, and keep about the town."-" Pray," said I, "what may have become of the old beast that could be the rnin of those young creatures?"-" Why, I do not well know," says she; "but I have heard, that as all her goods were seized upon, she was sent to the poor-house; but it soon after appearing that she had the French disease to a violent degree, was removed to an hospital to be taken care of, but I believe she will never live to come out; and if she should be so fortunate, the gentleman that was robbed, finding that she was the guilty person, intends to prosecute her to the utmost rigour of the law. me, 66 As soon as he was dead, an undertaker was sent for, by order of the executors, who met together immediately to open his will, and take care of all my son's effects. I was present when it was opened and read; but how terribly I was frightened at hearing the codicil repeated any person may imagine by the substance of it, which was to this effect :-That if I had given me any more after his decease than the 5001. he had left the 5007. left to his executors, and the 10004. of my son's estate, (which was now a year's interest,) was to be given to such poor families at the Hague as were judged to be in the greatest want of it; not to be divided in equal sums, but every family to have according to their merit and necessity. But this was not all; my son was tied down much harder; for if it was known that he gave me any relief, let my condition be ever so bad, either by himself, by his order, or in any manner of way, device, or contrivance that he could think of, one half of his estate, which was particularly mentioned, was to devolve to the ex-jected, considering how I might hear of her; IS ecutors for ever; and if they granted me ever so small a favour, that sum was to be equally divided among the several parishes where they lived, for the benefit of the poor. Any person would have been surprised to have seen how we all sat staring at each other; for though it was signed by all the executors, yet they did not know the substance of it till it was publicly read, excepting the chaplain; and he, as I mentioned before, had told me the codicil had better never have been added. I was sadly surprised to hear this character of Amy; for I thought whatever house she might keep, that the high-day of her blood had been over; but I found that she had not been willing to be taken for an old woman, though near sixty years of age; and my not seeing or hearing from her for some time past was a confirmation of what had been told me. I went home sadly de had known her for a faithful servant to me, in all my bad and good fortune, and was sorry that at the last such a miserable end should overtake her, though she, as well as 1, deserved it several years before. A few days after, I went pretty near the place I had heard she was, and hired a poor woman to go and inquire how Amy. did, and whe ther she was likely to do well. The woman returned, and told me, that the matron, or mistress, said, the person I enquired after died in a salivation two days before, and was buried the I was now in a fine dilemma; had the title of a countess, with 5004., and nothing else to sub-last night in the cemetary belonging to the hospital. sist on, but a very good wardrobe of clothes, which were not looked upon by my son and the ex I was very sorry to hear of Amy's unhappy and miserable death; for when she came first 1 |