by moonlight, and traveled hard,
the road being very plain and large, till we came to Grantham, by which
time it was about two in the morning, and all the town as it were dead
asleep; so we went on for Newark, where we reached about eight in the
morning, and there we lay down and slept most of the day; and by this
sleeping so continually in the daytime, I kept him from doing a great
deal of mischief which he would otherwise have done.

COLONEL JACK'S FIRST WIFE IS NOT DISPOSED TO BE ECONOMICAL

We soon found a house proper for our dwelling, and so went to
housekeeping; we had not been long together but I found that gay temper
of my wife returned, and she threw off the mask of her gravity and good
conduct that I had so long fancied was her mere natural disposition, and
now, having no more occasion for disguises, she resolved to seem nothing
but what she really was, a wild untamed colt, perfectly loose, and
careless to conceal any part, no, not the worst of her conduct.

She carried on this air of levity to such an excess that I could not but
be dissatisfied at the expense of it, for she kept company that I did
not like, lived beyond what I could support, and sometimes lost at play
more than I cared to pay; upon which one day I took occasion to mention
it, but lightly, and said to her by way of raillery that we lived
merrily for as long as it would last. She turned short upon me: "What do
you mean?" says she; "why, you do not pretend to be uneasy, do ye?" "No,
no, madam, not I, by no means; it is no business of mine, you know,"
said I, "to inquire what my wife spends, or whether she spends more than
I can afford, or less; I only desire the favor to know, as near as you
can guess, how long you will please to take to dispatch me, for I would
not be too long a-dying."

"I do not know what you talk of," says she. "You may die as leisurely or
as hastily as you please, when your time comes; I ain't a-going to kill
you, as I know of."

"But you are going to starve me, madam," said I; "and hunger is as
leisurely a death as breaking upon the wheel."

"I starve you! why, are not you a great Virginia merchant, and did not I
bring you L1500? What would you have? Sure, you can maintain a wife out
of that, can't you?"

"Yes, madam," says I, "I could maintain a wife, but not a gamester,
though you had brought me L1500 a year; no estate is big enough for a
box and dice."

She took fire at that, and flew out in a passion, and a