us concern for the misfortunes he had
brought upon me; and only by one rash half-word exasperated against
me, and turned out of doors, at an hour's warning; and all his kindness
changed to hate! And I now, from three o'clock to five, several miles
off! But if I am going to you, all will be well again, I hope.
Lack-a-day, what strange creatures are men! gentlemen, I should say,
rather! For, my dear deserving good mother, though poverty be both your
lots, has had better hap, and you are, and have always been, blest in
one another!--Yet this pleases me too; he was so good, he would not let
Mrs. Jewkes speak ill of me, and scorned to take her odious unwomanly
advice. O, what a black heart has this poor wretch! So I need not rail
against men so much; for my master, bad as I have thought him, is not
half so bad as this woman.--To be sure she must be an atheist!--Do you
think she is not?
We could not reach further than this little poor place and sad alehouse,
rather than inn; for it began to be dark, and Robin did not make so much
haste as he might have done; and he was forced to make hard shift for
his horses.
Mr. Colbrand, and Robert too, are very civil. I see he has got my
portmanteau lashed behind the coach. I did not desire it; but I shall
not come quite empty.
A thorough riddance of me, I see!--Bag and baggage! as Mrs. Jewkes says.
Well, my story surely would furnish out a surprising kind of novel, if
it was to be well told.
Mr. Robert came up to me, just now, and begged me to eat something: I
thanked him; but said, I could not eat. I bid him ask Mr. Colbrand to
walk up; and he came; but neither of them would sit; nor put their hats
on. What mockado is this, to such a poor soul as I! I asked them, if
they were at liberty to tell me the truth of what they were to do with
me? If not, I would not desire it.--They both said, Robin was ordered
to carry me to my father's; and Mr. Colbrand was to leave me within ten
miles, and then strike off for the other house, and wait till my master
arrived there. They both spoke so solemnly, that I could not but believe
them.
But when Robin went down, the other said, he had a letter to give me
next day at noon, when we baited, as we were to do, at Mrs. Jewkes's
relation's.--May I not, said I, beg the favour to see it to-night? He
seemed so loath to deny me, that I have hopes I shall prevail on him by
and by.
Well, my dear father and mother, I have got the letter, on great
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