ter of a gentleman, could, for
the sake of a little paltry coin, throw persons of honour into such
quandaries as might endanger their lives; and professed her surprise
that women were not ashamed to commend such brutality. At the same time
vowing that for the future she would never set foot in a stage coach, if
a private convenience could be had for love or money.

Nettled at her remarks, I took the same method of conveying my
sentiments, and wondered in my turn, that any woman of common sense
should be so unreasonable as to expect that people, who had neither
acquaintance nor connection with her, would tamely allow themselves to
be robbed and maltreated, merely to indulge her capricious humour. I
likewise confessed my astonishment at her insolence and ingratitude
in taxing a person with brutality, who deserved her approbation and
acknowledgment; and vowed that, if ever she should be assaulted again,
I would leave her to the mercy of the spoiler, that she might know the
value of my protection.

This person of honour did not think fit to carry on the altercation
any further, but seemed to chew the cud of her resentment with the
crestfallen captain, while I entered into discourse with my charmer, who
was the more pleased with my conversation, as she had conceived a very
indifferent opinion of my intellects from my former silence. I should
have had cause to be equally satisfied with the sprightliness of her
genius, could she have curbed her imagination with judgment; but she
laboured under such a profusion of talk, that I dreaded her unruly
tongue, and felt by anticipation the horrors of an eternal clack!
However, when I considered, on the other hand, the joys attending the
possession of twenty thousand pounds, I forgot her imperfections,
seized occasion by the forelock, and tried to insinuate myself into her
affection. The careful mother kept a strict watch over her and though
she could not help behaving civilly to me, took frequent opportunities
of discouraging our communication, by reprimanding her for being so free
with strangers, and telling her she must learn to speak less and think
more. Abridged of the use of speech, we conversed with our eyes, and I
found the young lady very eloquent in this kind of discourse. In short,
I had reason to believe that she was sick of the old gentlewoman's
tuition, and that I should find it no difficult matter to supersede her
authority.

When we arrived at the place where we were