vil, and miftrefs of this fine house; yet I could fwear to her being the lady who travelled with us from the weft to Cumberland. But then, it seems very wonderful and ftrange, that she should forget you so soon, or be able to act a part fo amazing, as to seem not to have ever feen you before this night. This has aftonished me, as I ftood behind your chair at fupper, looking full: at her; and I obferved fhe looked at me once or twice. What to fay to all this, I know not; but I will make all the enquiry I can among the fervants, as to the time and manner of her coming here, and let you know to-morrow, what I have been able to collect in relation to her. In the mean time, be advised by me, Sir, though I am but a poor fellow, and think no more of the matter to the lofs of your night's reft. We have had a wonderful deliverance from death by getting into this houfe, I am fure, and we ought to lie down with thankfulness and joy, without fretting ourfelves awake for a woman, or any trifling incident that could befall. Befide, fhe is now another man's property, however it came to pass, and it would be inconsistent with your character to think any more of her. This may be too free; but I hope, Sir, you will excufe it in a fervant who has your intereft and welfare at heart.-Here I 5 the the fage Finn had done. He withdrew, and I went to fleep. Finn's account of Mrs. Stanvil, which he had from the fer vants. Betimes the next morn ing, Finn was with me, and on my afking what news, he faid, he had heard fomething from all the fervants, and more particularly had got the following account from the doctor's own man:that Dr. Stanvil had a small lodge within three miles of the house we were in, and retired there fometimes to be more alone, than he could be in the refidence we were at; that this lodge was a mere repofitory of curiofities, in the middle of a garden full all the herbs and plants that grew in every country of the world, and in one chamber of this house was a great number of skeletons, which the doctor had made himself; for it was his wont to procure bodies from the furrounding church-yards, by men he kept in pay for the purpose, and cut them up himself at this lodge: that fome of these dead bodies were brought to him in hampers, and fome in their coffins on light railed cars, as the cafe required: that near fix months ago, the laft time the doctor was at his lodge, there was brought to him by his men the body of a young woman in her coffin, in order to a diffection as ufual, and and the bones being wired; but as it lay on the back, on the great table he cuts! up on, and the point of his knife at the pit of the stomach, to open the breaft, he perceived a kind of motion in the subject, heard a figh foon after, and looking up to the head, faw the eyes open and fhut again : that upon this, he laid down his knife,, which had but juft fcratched the body, at the beginning of the linea alba, (as my informer called it) and helped himself to put it into a warm bed: that he took all poffible pains, by adminiftering every thing he could think ufeful, to reftore life, and was fo fortunate as to fet one of the finest women in the world on her feet again. As. fhe had no raiment but the throud which had been on her in the coffin, he got every thing belonging to drefs that a woman of diftinction could have occafion for, and in a few days time, fhe fparkled before her preferver in the brightnefs of an Eaftern princefs: He was quite charmed with the beauties of her perfon, and could not enough admire her uncommon understanding: He offered to marry her, to fettle largely on her, and as fhe was a fingle woman, fhe could not in gratitude refuse the request of fo generous a benefactor: My informer further related, that they have both lived in the greateft happiness ever fince; and the doctor, who is one of the best of men, is continually studying how to add to the felicities of her every day : that he offered to take her up to London to pass the winters there, but, this fhe refufed, and defired fhe might remain where fhe was in the country, as it was really moit agreeable to her, and as he preferred it to the town. A reflexion on This account made the thing quite plain to me. And to judge impartially, confidering the whole cafe, I could neither blame the lovely Agnes for marrying the doctor, nor condemn her for pretending to be a stranger to me. She was fairly dead and bu ried, and all connexion between us was at an end of course, as there had been no marriage, nor contract of marriage. And as to reviving the affair, and renewing the tenderness which had existed, it could anfwer no other end than producing unhappinefs, as fhe was then Mrs. Stanvil, in a decent and happy fituation. And further, in refpect of her marrying the doctor fo foon after her feparation from me, it was certainly the wifeft thing fhe could do, as fhe had been fo entirely at his disposal, was without a ftitch to cover her, and I in all probability, after burying her, being gone up to London, or in fome place, where The could never hear of me more; I might likewife have been married, if any thing advantageous had offered after laying her in the church-yard. And befide, she neither knew the place fhe fell fick in, nor the country the doctor removed her to, as foon as ever he could get any clothes to put on her. So that, naked and friendless as fhe was, without any money, and ignorant of what became of me; without a poffibility of informing herself; I could not but acquit her. I even admired her conduct, and refolved fo far to imitate her, in regard to the general happiness, that nothing fhould appear in my behaviour, which could incline any one to think, I had ever seen her before the night the tempeft drove me to her houfe. I was vexed, I own, to lose her. But that could be no reafon for making a fenfelefs uproar, that coulddo nothing but mischief. As compofed then as I could be, I went down to breakfast, on a fervant's letting me know they waited for me, and found the fame company, who had fo lately parted to flumber, all quite alive and chearful, eafy and happy as mortals could be. At the request of Dr. Stanvil, who was ex tremely |