ently to bed to me, and what
with the answers she drew from me, what with her own method of palpably
satisfying herself, she soon discovered that I had been more frightened
than hurt; upon which I suppose, being herself seized with sleep, and
reserving her lectures and instructions till the next morning, she left
me, properly speaking, to my unrest; for, later tossing and turning
the greatest part of the night, and tormenting myself with the falsest
notions and apprehensions of things, I fell, through mere fatigue into
a kind of delirious doze, out of which I waked late in the morning, in
a violent fever: a circumstance which was extremely critical to reprieve
me, at least for a time, from the attacks of a wretch, infinitely more
terrible to me than death itself.

The interested care that was taken of me during my illness, in order to
restore me to a condition of making good the bawd's engagements, or of
enduring further trials, had, however, such an effect on my grateful
disposition that I even thought myself obliged to my un-doers for their
attention to promote my recovery; and, above all, for the keeping out
of my sight of that brutal ravisher, the author of my disorder, on their
finding I was too strongly moved at the bare mention of his name.

Youth is soon raised, and a few days were sufficient to conquer the fury
of my fever: but, what contributed most to my perfect recovery and to my
reconciliation with life, was the timely news that Mr. Crofts, who was a
merchant of considerable dealings, was arrested at the King's suit,
for nearly forty thousand pounds, on account of his driving a certain
contraband trade, and that his affairs were so desperate, that even were
it in his inclination, it would not be in his power to renew his designs
upon me: for he was instantly thrown into a prison, which it was not
likely he would get out of in haste.

Mrs. Brown, who had touched his fifty guineas, advanced to so little
purpose, and lost all hopes of the remaining hundred, began to look upon
my treatment of him with a more favourable eye; and as they had observed
my temper to be perfectly tractable and conformable to their views, all
the girls that composed her flock were suffered to visit me, and had
their cue to dispose me, by their conversation, to a perfect resignation
of myself to Mrs. Brown's direction.

Accordingly they were let in upon me, and all that frolic and
thoughtless gaiety in which those giddy creatures co