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masterpiece of assurance. With your leave I may possibly make some useof this letter." "You have my full liberty," cries Lady Bellaston, "toapply it to what purpose you please. However, I would not have itshewn to any but Miss Western, nor to her unless you find occasion.""Well, and how did you use the fellow?" returned Mrs Western. "Not asa husband," said the lady; "I am not married, I promise you, my dear.You know, Bell, I have tried the comforts once already; and once, Ithink, is enough for any reasonable woman."This letter Lady Bellaston thought would certainly turn the balanceagainst Jones in the mind of Sophia, and she was emboldened to give itup, partly by her hopes of having him instantly dispatched out of theway, and partly by having secured the evidence of Honour, who, uponsounding her, she saw sufficient reason to imagine was prepared totestify whatever she pleased.But perhaps the reader may wonder why Lady Bellaston, who in her hearthated Sophia, should be so desirous of promoting a match which was somuch to the interest of the young lady. Now, I would desire suchreaders to look carefully into human nature, page almost the last, andthere he will find, in scarce legible characters, that women,notwithstanding the preposterous behaviour of mothers, aunts, &c., inmatrimonial matters, do in reality think it so great a misfortune tohave their inclinations in love thwarted, that they imagine they oughtnever to carry enmity higher than upon these disappointments; again,he will find it written much about the same place, that a woman whohath once been pleased with the possession of a man, will go abovehalfway to the devil, to prevent any other woman from enjoying thesame.If he will not be contented with these reasons, I freely confess I seeno other motive to the actions of that lady, unless we will conceiveshe was bribed by Lord Fellamar, which for my own part I see no causeto suspect.Now this was the affair which Mrs Western was preparing to introduceto Sophia, by some prefatory discourse on the folly of love, and onthe wisdom of legal prostitution for hire, when her brother and Blifilbroke abruptly in upon her; and hence arose all that coldness in herbehaviour to Blifil, which, though the squire, as was usual with him,imputed to a wrong cause, infused into Blifil himself (he being a muchmore cunning man) a suspicion of the real truth.Chapter ix.In which Jones pays a visit to Mrs Fitzpatrick.The reader may now, perhaps, be pleased to return with us to Mr Jones,who, at the appointed hour, attended on Mrs Fitzpatrick; but before werelate the conversation which now past it may be proper, according toour method, to return a little back, and to account for so great analteration of behaviour in this lady, that from changing her lodgingprincipally to avoid Mr Jones, she had now industriously, as hath beenseen, sought this interview.And here we shall need only to resort to what happened the precedingday, when, hearing from Lady Bellaston that Mr Western was arrived in