They sat down by me and threw every feature of their faces into
attention. I was resolved to go as near the truth as possible, lest any
thing should drop from my spouse to impeach my veracity; and yet keep in
view what passed at the Flask.

It is necessary, although thou knowest my whole story, and a good deal of
my views, that thou shouldst be apprized of the substance of what I told
them.

'I gave them, in as concise a manner as I was able, this history of our
families, fortunes, alliances, antipathies, her brother's and mine
particularly. I averred the truth of our private marriage.' The
Captain's letter, which I will enclose, will give thee my reasons for
that. And, besides, the women might have proposed a parson to me by way
of compromise. 'I told them the condition my spouse had made me swear
to; and to which she held me, in order, I said, to induce me the sooner
to be reconciled to her relations.

'I owned, that this restraint made me sometimes ready to fly out.' And
Mrs. Moore was so good as to declare, that she did not much wonder at it.

Thou art a very good sort of woman, Mrs. Moore, thought I.

As Miss Howe has actually detected our mother, and might possibly find
some way still to acquaint her friend with her discoveries, I thought it
proper to prepossess them in favour of Mrs. Sinclair and her two nieces.

I said, 'they were gentlewomen born; that they had not bad hearts; that
indeed my spouse did not love them; they having once taken the liberty to
blame her for her over-niceness with regard to me. People, I said, even
good people, who knew themselves to be guilty of a fault they had no
inclination to mend, were too often least patient when told of it; as
they could less bear than others to be thought indifferently of.'

Too often the case, they owned.

'Mrs. Sinclair's house was a very handsome house, and fit to receive the
first quality, [true enough, Jack!] Mrs. Sinclair was a woman very easy
in her circumstances:--A widow gentlewoman, as you, Mrs. Moore, are.--
Lets lodgings, as you, Mrs. Moore, do.--Once had better prospects as you,
Mrs. Moore, may have had: the relict of Colonel Sinclair;--you, Mrs.
Moore, might know Colonel Sinclair--he had lodgings at Hampstead.'

She had heard of the name.

'Oh! he was related to the best families in Scotland!--And his widow is
not to be reflected upon because she lets lodgings you know, Mrs. Moore--
you know, Miss Rawlins.'

Very true, and