t she was
murdered, because thou wert relieved from her by this base usage.
However, when I heard of it, I checked Amy very much, but was well
satisfied to hear she was alive. After this I did not hear from Amy
for above a month, and in the interim (as I knew thou wast safe), I
sent a friend of mine to pay the debt, and release the prisoner,
which he did, but was so indiscreet as to let her know who was the
benefactress. My next care was to manage thy Spitalfields business,
which I did with much exactness. And the day that I received thy
last letter, Amy came to me again, and I read as much of it to her
as she was concerned in: nay, I entreated her to drink tea with me,
and after it one glass of citron, in which she drank towards thy
good health, and she told me she would come to see thee as soon as
possible. Just as she was gone, I was reading thy letter again in
the little parlour, and that turbulent creature (thy pretended
daughter) came to me, as she said, to return thanks for the favour
I had done her, so I accidentally laid thy letter down in the
window, while I went to fetch her a glass of cordial, for she
looked sadly; and before I returned I heard the street door shut,
on which I went back without the liquor, not knowing who might have
come in, but missing her, I thought she might be gone to stand at
the door, and the wind had blown it to; but I was never the nearer,
she was sought for in vain. So when I believed her to be quite
gone, I looked to see if I missed anything, which I did not; but at
last, to my great surprise, I missed your letter, which she
certainly took and made off with. I was so terrified at this
unhappy chance that I fainted away, and had not one of my maidens
come in at that juncture, it might have been attended with fatal
consequences. I would advise thee to prepare thyself to see her,
for I verily believe she will come to thee. I dread your knowing of
this, but hope the best. Before I went to fetch the unhappy
cordial, she told me, as she had often done before, that she was
the eldest daughter, that the captain's wife was your second
daughter, and her sister, and that the youngest sister was dead.
She also said there were two brothers, the eldest of whom had never
been seen by any of them since he run away from an uncle