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This letter administered the same kind of consolation to poor Jones,which Job formerly received from his friends. Besides disappointingall the hopes which he promised to himself from seeing Sophia, he wasreduced to an unhappy dilemma, with regard to Lady Bellaston; forthere are some certain engagements, which, as he well knew, do verydifficultly admit of any excuse for the failure; and to go, after thestrict prohibition from Sophia, he was not to be forced by any humanpower. At length, after much deliberation, which during that nightsupplied the place of sleep, he determined to feign himself sick: forthis suggested itself as the only means of failing the appointedvisit, without incensing Lady Bellaston, which he had more than onereason of desiring to avoid.The first thing, however, which he did in the morning, was, to writean answer to Sophia, which he inclosed in one to Honour. He thendespatched another to Lady Bellaston, containing the above-mentionedexcuse; and to this he soon received the following answer:--"I am vexed that I cannot see you here this afternoon, but moreconcerned for the occasion; take great care of yourself, and havethe best advice, and I hope there will be no danger.--I am sotormented all this morning with fools, that I have scarce a moment'stime to write to you. Adieu."_P.S._--I will endeavour to call on you this evening, at nine.--Besure to be alone."Mr Jones now received a visit from Mrs Miller, who, after some formalintroduction, began the following speech:--"I am very sorry, sir, towait upon you on such an occasion; but I hope you will consider theill consequence which it must be to the reputation of my poor girls,if my house should once be talked of as a house of ill-fame. I hopeyou won't think me, therefore, guilty of impertinence, if I beg younot to bring any more ladies in at that time of night. The clock hadstruck two before one of them went away."--"I do assure you, madam,"said Jones, "the lady who was here last night, and who staid thelatest (for the other only brought me a letter), is a woman of verygreat fashion, and my near relation."--"I don't know what fashion sheis of," answered Mrs Miller; "but I am sure no woman of virtue, unlessa very near relation indeed, would visit a young gentleman at ten atnight, and stay four hours in his room with him alone; besides, sir,the behaviour of her chairmen shows what she was; for they did nothingbut make jests all the evening in the entry, and asked Mr Partridge,in the hearing of my own maid, if madam intended to stay with hismaster all night; with a great deal of stuff not proper to berepeated. I have really a great respect for you, Mr Jones, upon yourown account; nay, I have a very high obligation to you for yourgenerosity to my cousin. Indeed, I did not know how very good you hadbeen till lately. Little did I imagine to what dreadful courses thepoor man's distress had driven him. Little did I think, when you gaveme the ten guineas, that you had given them to a highwayman! Oheavens! what goodness have you shown! How have you preserved thisfamily!--The character which Mr Allworthy hath formerly given me ofyou was, I find, strictly true.--And indeed, if I had no obligation toyou, my obligations to him are such, that, on his account, I shouldshew you the utmost respect in my power.--Nay, believe me, dear MrJones, if my daughters' and my own reputation were out of the case, Ishould, for your own sake, be sorry that so pretty a young gentleman