ress it, but
suffered 'elle' to enter 'a la casa de uno de sus hermanos', and so I past
my time walking up and down, and among other places, to one Drumbleby, a
maker of flageolets, the best in towne. He not within, my design to
bespeak a pair of flageolets of the same tune, ordered him to come to me
in a day or two, and so I back to the cabinet-maker's and there staid; and
by and by Betty comes, and here we staid in the shop and above seeing the
workmen work, which was pretty, and some exceeding good work, and very
pleasant to see them do it, till it was late quite dark, and the mistresse
of the shop took us into the kitchen and there talked and used us very
prettily, and took her for my wife, which I owned and her big belly, and
there very merry, till my thing done, and then took coach and home
. . . But now comes our trouble, I did begin to fear that 'su marido'
might go to my house to 'enquire pour elle', and there, 'trouvant' my
'muger'--[wife in Spanish.]--at home, would not only think himself, but
give my 'femme' occasion to think strange things. This did trouble me
mightily, so though 'elle' would not seem to have me trouble myself about
it, yet did agree to the stopping the coach at the streete's end, and 'je
allois con elle' home, and there presently hear by him that he had newly
sent 'su mayde' to my house to see for her mistresse. This do much
perplex me, and I did go presently home Betty whispering me behind the
'tergo de her mari', that if I would say that we did come home by water,
'elle' could make up 'la cose well satis', and there in a sweat did walk
in the entry ante my door, thinking what I should say a my 'femme', and as
God would have it, while I was in this case (the worst in reference a my
'femme' that ever I was in in my life), a little woman comes stumbling to
the entry steps in the dark; whom asking who she was, she enquired for my
house. So knowing her voice, and telling her 'su donna' is come home she
went away. But, Lord! in what a trouble was I, when she was gone, to
recollect whether this was not the second time of her coming, but at last
concluding that she had not been here before, I did bless myself in my
good fortune in getting home before her, and do verily believe she had
loitered some time by the way, which was my great good fortune, and so I
in a-doors and there find all well. So my heart full of joy, I to the
office awhile, and then home, and after supper and doing a little b