70 THE HISTORY OF

seen in all my travels, that I should prefer to
you fora wife. Had I not a very severe father,
who would refuse to give me one shilling, if I
were to marry without his leave, I would marry
you, Susan, to-morrow, and think myself the
happiest man in the world.”

“O! Sir,” I said, “how can you talk so to
a poor servant; surely, it does not become you
to degrade yourself, to deceive such an ignorant
girl as myself.”

**T am not deceiving you,” he said; and was,
perhaps, going on to say many more fine things,
when I, recollecting myself, said, “Sir, I have
listened to you too long; you must go this
moment. It is neither fit for you ay a gentle-
man, nor for me as a servant, to talk any more
on these subjects. I pray you, Sir, go, and
do not think of returning again to this place,
for my conscience tells me, that 1 have already
done very wrong in entering into discourse
with you.”

Seeing that I was so positive, he took his
leave; but before he had passed through the
wicket, he turned back again, and begged my
pardon, if he had said or done any thing which
could offend me. ‘You take me for a bad
man, Susan, I fear,” he said, “ but I am not
one; and, in future, you may trust that I will
always behave to you, as I ought to behave to
so virtuous and discreet a young woman.”

He had scarcely gone out into the meadows,
when my mistress came in.

‘Did you meet any body in the path-way ?”
said J to her.