aid at once she believed
the girl was my daughter. "And truly," says she, "I think your man
Thomas is her eldest son, for the tale he tells of his birth and
education suits exactly with our then circumstances."

"Why, indeed," said my lord, "I believe so too, for I now recollect that
when we first took him into our service at Dover, he told me he was the
son of a brewer in London; that his father had run away from his mother,
and left her in a distressed condition with five children, of which he
was second child, or eldest son."

Thomas was then called into the parlour, and asked what he knew of his
family; he repeated all as above, concerning his father's running away
and leaving me; but said that he had often asked and inquired after
them, but without any success, and concluded, that he believed his
brothers and sisters were distributed in several places, and that his
mother died in the greatest distress, and was buried by the parish.

"Indeed," said my lord, "it is my opinion that Thomas is one of your
sons; do not you think the same?" addressing himself to me.

"From the circumstances that have been related, my lord," said I, "I now
believe that these are both my children; but you would have thought me a
mad woman to have countenanced and taken this young woman in as my
child, without a thorough assurance of it; for that would have been
running myself to a certain expense and trouble, without the least
glimpse of real satisfaction."

"Pray," said my lord to my daughter, "let me know what is become of
your brothers and sisters; give me the best account of them that you
can."

"My lord," replied she, "agreeably to your commands, I will inform you
to the best of my knowledge; and to begin with myself, who am the eldest
of the five. I was put to a sister of my father's with my youngest
brother, who, by mere dint of industry, gave us maintenance and
education, suitable to her circumstances; and she, with my uncle's
consent, let me go to service when I was advanced in years; and among
the variety of places I lived at, Lady Roxana's was one."

"Yes," said Thomas, "I knew her there, when I was a valet at my Lord
D----'s, the next door; it was there I became acquainted with her; and
she, by the consent of the gentlewoman," pointing to Amy, "let me see
the Lady Roxana's fine vestment, which she danced in at the grand ball."

"Well," continued my daughter, "after I left this place, I was at
several others before I bec