d by any here
but myself--thou art safe: thy guilt is thy security in such a house as
this!--thy shameful, thy poor part, thou hast as well acted as the low
farce could give thee to act!--as well as they each of them (thy
superiors, though not thy betters), thou seest, can act theirs.--Steal
away into darkness! No inquiry after this will be made, whose the first
advances, thine or mine.'

And, as I hope to live, the wench, confoundedly frightened, slunk away;
so did her sentinel Mabell; though I, endeavouring to rally, cried out
for Dorcas to stay--but I believe the devil could not have stopt her,
when an angel bid her begone.

Madam, said I, let me tell you; and was advancing towards her with a
fierce aspect, most cursedly vexed, and ashamed too----

But she turned to me: 'Stop where thou art, O vilest and most abandoned
of men!--Stop where thou art!--nor, with that determined face, offer to
touch me, if thou wouldst not that I should be a corps at thy feet!'

To my astonishment, she held forth a penknife in her hand, the point to
her own bosom, grasping resolutely the whole handle, so that there was no
offering to take it from her.

'I offer not mischief to any body but myself. You, Sir, and ye women,
are safe from every violence of mine. The LAW shall be all my resource:
the LAW,' and she spoke the word with emphasis, the LAW! that to such
people carries natural terror with it, and now struck a panic into them.

No wonder, since those who will damn themselves to procure ease and
plenty in this world, will tremble at every thing that seems to threaten
their methods of obtaining that ease and plenty.----

'The LAW only shall be my refuge!'----

The infamous mother whispered me, that it were better to make terms with
this strange lady, and let her go.

Sally, notwithstanding all her impudent bravery at other times, said, If
Mr. Lovelace had told them what was not true, of her being his wife----

And Polly Horton, That she must needs say, the lady, if she were not my
wife, had been very much injured; that was all.

That is not now a matter to be disputed, cried I: you and I know, Madam
----

'We do, said she; and I thank God, I am not thine--once more I thank God
for it--I have no doubt of the farther baseness that thou hast intended
me, by this vile and low trick: but I have my SENSES, Lovelace: and from
my heart I despise thee, thou very poor Lovelace!--How canst thou stand
in my presence!--Thou, that'