mies, who take counsel together against my
soul; and when I lay me down to rest, they say among
themselves, 'Come let us destroy him.'

"I am sure if there is such a thing as a Devil in this
world, he must have been here last night, and have had some
hand in what happened to me. Do you think the cursed rats
(at his instigation I suppose) did not eat up my pocket
book, which was in my pocket, within an inch of my head? And
not contented with plenty for the present, they carried away
my gemmy worked silk garters, and half a dozen new minuets I
had just got, to serve, I suppose, as provision for the
winter.

"You know it rained last night, or if you do not know it, I
am sure I do. When I went to bed I laid my watch in the
usual place, and going to take her up after I arose this
morning, I found her in the same place, it is true, but all
afloat in water, let in at a leak in the roof of the house,
and as silent, and as still as the rats that had eaten my
pocket book.

"Now, you know if chance had anything to do in this matter,
there were a thousand other spots where it might have
chanced to leak as well as this one which was
perpendicularly over my watch. But I'll tell you, it's my
opinion that the Devil came and bored the hole over it on
purpose.

"Well, as I was saying, my poor watch had lost her speech. I
would not have cared much for this, but something worse
attended it--the subtle particles of water with which the
case was filled had, by their penetration, so overcome the
cohesion of the particles of the paper, of which my dear
picture, and watch patch paper, were composed, that in
attempting to take them out to dry them, my cursed fingers
gave them such a rent as I fear I shall never get over.

"... And now, though her picture be defaced, there is so
lively an image of her imprinted in my mind, that I shall
think of her too often, I fear for my peace of mind; and too
often I am sure to get through old Coke this winter, for I
have not seen him since I packed him up in my trunk in
Williamsburg. Well, Page, I do wish the Devil had old Coke
for I am sure I never was so tired of the dull old scoundrel
in my life....

"I would fain ask the favor of Miss Bettey Burwell to give
me another watch paper of her o