prived me of my life, by the entreaties of her husband, who, having
been afterwards renounced by his father on account of his marriage with
her, and unable to support a family on his pay, left his wife at her
father's house, and went with the regiment to Germany, where he was
broke for misbehaviour at the battle of Dettingen; since which time she
had heard no tidings of him. She then gave me to understand, with many
symptoms of penitence, that it was her misfortune to bear a child four
months after marriage, by which event her parents were so incensed, that
she was turned out of doors with the infant, that died soon after: and
had hitherto subsisted in a miserable indigent manner, on the extorted
charity of a few friends, who were now quite tired of giving; that, not
knowing where or how to support herself one day longer, she had fled for
succour even to me, who, of all mankind, had the least cause to assist
her, relying upon the generosity of my disposition, which, she hoped,
would be pleased with this opportunity of avenging itself in the noblest
manner on the wretch who had wronged me. I was very much affected with
her discourse and, having no cause to suspect the sincerity of her
repentance, raised her up, freely pardoned all she had done against me,
and promised to befriend her as much as lay in my power.

Since my last arrival in London, I had made no advances to the
apothecary, imagining it would be impossible for me to make my innocence
appear, so unhappily was my accusation circumstanced: Strap indeed had
laboured to justify me to the schoolmaster; but, far from succeeding
in his attempt, Mr. Concordance dropped all correspondence with him,
because he refused to quit his connection with me. Things being in this
situation, I thought a fairer opportunity of vindicating my character
could not offer than that which now presented itself; I therefore
stipulated with Mrs. Gawky, that before I would yield her the least
assistance, she should do me the justice to clear my reputation by
explaining upon oath before a magistrate the whole of the conspiracy,
as it had been executed against me. When she had given me this
satisfaction, I presented her with five guineas, a sum so much above her
expectation, that she could scarce believe the evidence of her senses,
and was ready to worship me for my benevolence. The declaration, signed
with her own hand, I sent to her father, who, upon recollecting and
comparing the circumstance