would have been enough to have ruined me to all
intents and purposes with my husband, and everybody else too; I might as
well have been the "German princess."

Well, I set Amy to work; and give Amy her due, she set all her wits to
work to find out which way this girl had her knowledge, but, more
particularly, how much knowledge she had--that is to say, what she
really knew, and what she did not know, for this was the main thing with
me; how she could say she knew who Madam Roxana was, and what notions
she had of that affair, was very mysterious to me, for it was certain
she could not have a right notion of me, because she would have it be
that Amy was her mother.

I scolded heartily at Amy for letting the girl ever know her, that is to
say, know her in this affair; for that she knew her could not be hid,
because she, as I might say, served Amy, or rather under Amy, in my
family, as is said before; but she (Amy) talked with her at first by
another person, and not by herself; and that secret came out by an
accident, as I have said above.

Amy was concerned at it as well as I, but could not help it; and though
it gave us great uneasiness, yet, as there was no remedy, we were bound
to make as little noise of it as we could, that it might go no farther.
I bade Amy punish the girl for it, and she did so, for she parted with
her in a huff, and told her she should see she was not her mother, for
that she could leave her just where she found her; and seeing she could
not be content to be served by the kindness of a friend, but that she
would needs make a mother of her, she would, for the future, be neither
mother or friend, and so bid her go to service again, and be a drudge as
she was before.

The poor girl cried most lamentably, but would not be beaten out of it
still; but that which dumbfoundered Amy more than all the rest was that
when she had berated the poor girl a long time, and could not beat her
out of it, and had, as I have observed, threatened to leave her, the girl
kept to what she said before, and put this turn to it again, that she
was sure, if Amy wa'n't, my Lady Roxana was her mother, and that she
would go find her out; adding, that she made no doubt but she could do
it, for she knew where to inquire the name of her new husband.

Amy came home with this piece of news in her mouth to me. I could easily
perceive when she came in that she was mad in her mind, and in a rage at
something or other, and was in gre