nt a company her lady had always had in the house;
how they used to sit up all night in the house gaming and dancing; what
a fine lady her mistress was, and what a vast deal of money the upper
servants got; as for her, she said, her whole business was in the next
house, so that she got but little, except one night that there was
twenty guineas given to be divided among the servants, when, she said,
she got two guineas and a half for her share.

She went on, and told them how many servants there was, and how they
were ordered; but, she said, there was one Mrs. Amy who was over them
all; and that she, being the lady's favourite, got a great deal. She did
not know, she said, whether Amy was her Christian name or her surname,
but she supposed it was her surname; that they were told she got
threescore pieces of gold at one time, being the same night that the
rest of the servants had the twenty guineas divided among them.

I put in at that word, and said it was a vast deal to give away. "Why,"
says I, "it was a portion for a servant." "O madam!" says she, "it was
nothing to what she got afterwards; we that were servants hated her
heartily for it; that is to say, we wished it had been our lot in her
stead." Then I said again, "Why, it was enough to get her a good
husband, and settle her for the world, if she had sense to manage it."
"So it might, to be sure, madam," says she, "for we were told she laid
up above L500; but, I suppose, Mrs. Amy was too sensible that her
character would require a good portion to put her off."

"Oh," said I, "if that was the case it was another thing."

"Nay," says she, "I don't know, but they talked very much of a young
lord that was very great with her."

"And pray what came of her at last?" said I, for I was willing to hear a
little (seeing she would talk of it) what she had to say, as well of Amy
as of myself.

"I don't know, madam," said she, "I never heard of her for several
years, till t'other day I happened to see her."

"Did you indeed?" says I (and made mighty strange of it); "what! and in
rags, it may be," said I; "that's often the end of such creatures."

"Just the contrary, madam," says she. "She came to visit an acquaintance
of mine, little thinking, I suppose, to see me, and, I assure you, she
came in her coach."

"In her coach!" said I; "upon my word, she had made her market then; I
suppose she made hay while the sun shone. Was she married, pray?"

"I believe she had been