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visited me in my confinement, and offered me any money I wanted.Consider, sir, what a temptation to a man who hath tasted such bitterdistress, it must be, to have a sum in his possession which must puthim and his family beyond any future possibility of suffering thelike.""Child," cries Allworthy, "you carry this forgiving temper too far.Such mistaken mercy is not only weakness, but borders on injustice,and is very pernicious to society, as it encourages vice. Thedishonesty of this fellow I might, perhaps, have pardoned, but neverhis ingratitude. And give me leave to say, when we suffer anytemptation to atone for dishonesty itself, we are as candid andmerciful as we ought to be; and so far I confess I have gone; for Ihave often pitied the fate of a highwayman, when I have been on thegrand jury; and have more than once applied to the judge on the behalfof such as have had any mitigating circumstances in their case; butwhen dishonesty is attended with any blacker crime, such as cruelty,murder, ingratitude, or the like, compassion and forgiveness thenbecome faults. I am convinced the fellow is a villain, and he shall bepunished; at least as far as I can punish him."This was spoken with so stern a voice, that Jones did not think properto make any reply; besides, the hour appointed by Mr Western now drewso near, that he had barely time left to dress himself. Here thereforeended the present dialogue, and Jones retired to another room, wherePartridge attended, according to order, with his cloaths.Partridge had scarce seen his master since the happy discovery. Thepoor fellow was unable either to contain or express his transports. Hebehaved like one frantic, and made almost as many mistakes while hewas dressing Jones as I have seen made by Harlequin in dressinghimself on the stage.His memory, however, was not in the least deficient. He recollectednow many omens and presages of this happy event, some of which he hadremarked at the time, but many more he now remembered; nor did he omitthe dreams he had dreamt the evening before his meeting with Jones;and concluded with saying, "I always told your honour something bodedin my mind that you would one time or other have it in your power tomake my fortune." Jones assured him that this boding should ascertainly be verified with regard to him as all the other omens hadbeen to himself; which did not a little add to all the raptures whichthe poor fellow had already conceived on account of his master.Chapter xii.Approaching still nearer to the end.Jones, being now completely dressed, attended his uncle to MrWestern's. He was, indeed, one of the finest figures ever beheld, andhis person alone would have charmed the greater part of womankind; butwe hope it hath already appeared in this history that Nature, when sheformed him, did not totally rely, as she sometimes doth, on this meritonly, to recommend her work.Sophia, who, angry as she was, was likewise set forth to the bestadvantage, for which I leave my female readers to account, appeared so