o want anything this world
could afford me, except the continuance of his life and love (though the
very thing he had mentioned, joined with the death of my daughter, in
the natural way, would have been much more to my satisfaction). "Well,
my dear," says he, "the expense will be but small, and as I promised you
the title, it shall not be long before the honour shall be brought home
to your toilette." He was as good as his word, for that day week he
brought the patent home to me, in a small box covered with crimson
velvet and two gold hinges. "There, my lady countess," says he, "long
may you live to bear the title, for I am certain you are a credit to
it." In a few days after, I had the pleasure to see our equipage, as
coach, chariot, &c., all new painted, and a coronet fixed at the proper
place, and, in short, everything was proportioned to our quality, so
that our house vied with most of the other nobility.

It was at this juncture that I was at the pinnacle of all my worldly
felicity, notwithstanding my soul was black with the foulest crimes.
And, at the same time, I may begin to reckon the beginning of my
misfortunes, which were in embryo, but were very soon brought forth, and
hurried me on to the greatest distress.

As I was sitting one day talking to Amy in our parlour, and the street
door being left open by one of the servants, I saw my daughter pass by
the window, and without any ceremony she came to the parlour door, and
opening of it, came boldly in. I was terribly amazed, and asked her who
she wanted, as if I had not known her, but Amy's courage was quite lost,
and she swooned away. "Your servant, my lady," says she; "I thought I
should never have had the happiness to see you _tete-a-tete_, till your
agent, the Quaker, in Haydon Yard, in the Minories, carelessly left a
direction for me in her own window; however, she is a good woman, for
she released me out of a jail in which, I believe, that base wretch"
(pointing to Amy, who was coming to herself) "caused me to be confined."
As soon as Amy recovered, she flew at her like a devil, and between them
there was so much noise as alarmed the servants, who all came to see
what was the matter. Amy had pulled down one of my husband's swords,
drawn it, and was just going to run her through the body, as the
servants came in, who not knowing anything of the matter, some of them
secured Amy, others held the girl, and the rest were busy about me, to
prevent my fainting a