eep sigh in vain!), I might provide for myself in the morning.

It is incredible what trifling consolations the human mind will seize
in its greatest afflictions. The assurance of nothing more than a bed to
lie on that night, calmed my agonies; and being ashamed to acquaint
the mistress of the inn that I had no friends to apply to in town, I
proposed to myself to proceed, the very next morning, to an intelligence
office, to which I was furnished with written directions on the back of
a ballad, Esther had given me. There I counted on getting information
of any place that such a country girl as I might be fit for, and where
I could get into any sort of being, before my little stock should be
consumed; and as to a character, Esther had often repeated to me, that I
might depend on her managing me one; nor, however affected I was at
her leaving me thus, did I entirely cease to rely on her, as I began to
think, good-naturedly, that her procedure was all in course, and that is
was only my ignorance of life that had made me take it in the light I at
first did.

Accordingly, the next morning I dressed myself as clean and as neat as
my rustic wardrobe would permit me; and having left my box, with special
recommendation, with the landlady, I ventured out by myself, and without
any more difficulty than can be supposed of a young country girl, barely
fifteen, and to whom every sign or shop was a gazing trap, I got to the
wished for intelligence office.

It was kept by an elderly woman, who sat at the receipt of custom, with
a book before her in great form and order, and several scrolls made out,
of directions for places.

I made up then to this important personage, without lifting up my eyes
or observing any of the people round me, who were attending there on the
same errand as myself, and dropping her curtsies nine deep, just made a
shift to stammer out my business to her.

Madam heard me out, with all the gravity and brow of a petty minister
of State, and seeing at one glance over my figure what I was, made me no
answer, but to ask me the preliminary shilling, on receipt of which she
told me places for women too slight built for hard work: but that she
would look over her book, and see what was to be done for me, desiring
me to stay a little, till she had dispatched some other customers.

On this I drew back a little, most heartily mortified at a declaration
which carried with it a killing uncertainly, that my circumstances c