ed to be either distracted or mad. The next day Miss Sarah did
not fail to relate this adventure to her lover, telling him how Miss
Temple's cries had alarmed the maids of honour's apartment, and how
herself and her aunt, running to her assistance, had almost surprised
Miss Hobart in the very act.

Two days after, the whole adventure, with the addition of several
embellishments, was made public: the governess swore to the truth of it,
and related in every company what a narrow escape Miss Temple had
experienced, and that Miss Sarah, her niece, had preserved her honour,
because, by Lord Rochester's excellent advice, she had forbidden her
all manner of connection with so dangerous a person. Miss Temple was
afterwards informed, that the song that had so greatly provoked her,
alluded to Miss Price only: this was confirmed to her by every person,
with additional execrations against Miss Hobart, for such a scandalous
imposition. Such great coldness after so much familiarity, made many
believe, that this adventure was not altogether a fiction.

This had been sufficient to have disgraced Miss Hobart at court, and to
have totally ruined her reputation in London, had she not been, upon the
present, as well as upon a former occasion, supported by the duchess:
her royal highness pretended to treat the whole story as romantic and
visionary, or as solely arising from private pique: she chid Miss Temple,
for her impertinent credulity: turned away the governess and her niece,
for the lies with which she pretended they supported the imposture; and
did many improper things in order to re-establish Miss Hobart's honour,
which, however, she failed in accomplishing. She had her reasons for not
entirely abandoning her, as will appear in the sequel.

Miss Temple, who continually reproached herself with injustice, with
respect to Lord Rochester, and who, upon the faith of Killegrew's word,
thought him the most Honourable man in England, was only solicitous to
find out some opportunity of easing her mind, by making him some
reparation for the rigour with which she had treated him: these
favourable dispositions, in the hands of a man of his character, might
have led to consequences of which she was not aware; but heaven did not
allow him an opportunity of profiting by them.

Ever since he had first appeared at court he seldom failed being banished
from it, at least once in the year; for whenever a word presented itself
to his pen, or to his t