and how she (I mean my girl) came
to know that her mother had married a husband; but it would not do, the
girl would acknowledge nothing, and gave but a very imperfect account of
things still, being disgusted to the last degree with Amy's leaving her
so abruptly as she did.

Well, Amy went to the house where the boy was; but it was all one, there
they had only heard a confused story of the lady somebody, they knew not
who, which the same wench had told them, but they gave no heed to it at
all. Amy told them how foolishly the girl had acted, and how she had
carried on the whimsey so far, in spite of all they could say to her;
that she had taken it so ill, she would see her no more, and so she
might e'en go to service again if she would, for she (Amy) would have
nothing to do with her unless she humbled herself and changed her note,
and that quickly too.

The good old gentleman, who had been the benefactor to them all, was
greatly concerned at it, and the good woman his wife was grieved beyond
all expressing, and begged her ladyship (meaning Amy), not to resent it;
they promised, too, they would talk with her about it, and the old
gentlewoman added, with some astonishment, "Sure she cannot be such a
fool but she will be prevailed with to hold her tongue, when she has it
from your own mouth that you are not her mother, and sees that it
disobliges your ladyship to have her insist upon it." And so Amy came
away with some expectation that it would be stopped here.

But the girl was such a fool for all that, and persisted in it
obstinately, notwithstanding all they could say to her; nay, her sister
begged and entreated her not to play the fool, for that it would ruin
her too, and that the lady (meaning Amy) would abandon them both.

Well, notwithstanding this, she insisted, I say, upon it, and which was
worse, the longer it lasted the more she began to drop Amy's ladyship,
and would have it that the Lady Roxana was her mother, and that she had
made some inquiries about it, and did not doubt but she should find her
out.

When it was come to this, and we found there was nothing to be done with
the girl, but that she was so obstinately bent upon the search after me,
that she ventured to forfeit all she had in view; I say, when I found it
was come to this, I began to be more serious in my preparations of my
going beyond sea, and particularly, it gave me some reason to fear that
there was something in it. But the following acc