g woman who had caused all the words,
had been at the door, and delivered a letter to my lord's footman, who
had carried it upstairs, and that she was ordered to go to his lordship
in his study, which struck me with a fresh and sensible grief. I told
Thomas, as he was to be her brother, to learn what my lord had said to
her, if he could, as she came down; on which he went into the house to
obey his order.

He was not gone in above a quarter of an hour before he came to me
again, and told me she was gone, and that my lord had given her a purse
of twenty guineas, with orders to live retired, let nobody know who or
what she was, and come to him again in about a month's time. I was very
much satisfied to hear this, and was in hopes of its proving a happy
omen; and I was better pleased about two hours after, when Thomas came
to me to let me know that my lord had given him thirty guineas, and bid
him take off his livery, and new clothe himself, for he intended to make
him his first clerk, and put him in the way of making his fortune. I now
thought it was impossible for me to be poor, and was inwardly rejoiced
that my children (meaning Thomas and Susanna) were in the high road to
grow rich.

As Amy and I had dined by ourselves, my lord kept his study all the day,
and at night, after supper, Isabel came and told me that my lord's man
had received orders to make his bed in the crimson room, which name it
received from the colour of the bed and furniture, and was reserved
against the coming of strangers, or sickness. When she had delivered her
message she withdrew, and I told Amy it would be to no purpose to go to
him again, but I would have her lie in a small bed, which I ordered
immediately to be carried into my chamber. Before we went to bed, I went
to his lordship to know why he would make us both look so little among
our own servants, as to part, bed and board, so suddenly. He only said,
"My Lady Roxana knows the airs of quality too well to be informed that a
scandal among nobility does not consist in parting of beds; if you
cannot lie by yourself, you may send a letter to my Lord ----, whom you
lived with as a mistress in London; perhaps he may want a bedfellow as
well as you, and come to you at once; you are too well acquainted with
him to stand upon ceremony."

I left him, with my heart full of malice, grief, shame, and revenge. I
did not want a good will to do any mischief; but I wanted an unlimited
power to put all m