I I - American Memory

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put them in my Pocket, they belong'd to——— '-
Clerk to the Mailers, and were in his Drawer; as
foon as I had got to a Place where I had an Opportu-
nity, I began to read them, but they were fo fhocking
that I could not go thro' them, one was AnoKymous, the
other two were fign'd Molly Soft Buttocks.
I unwarily fhewed them as fomething very uncommon
to feveral People, fome of whom induftrioufly fpread a
Report that I was a Sodomite, and that I thereby got
my Living, urging as a Proof thereof, what a great deal
of Money I fpent, which they faid, I could not get
honeftly ; and what contributed to this Report was,
my going one Evening to pay a Vifit to fome young
Women in the City, wliere I had been introduc'd fome
Time before by an Acquaintance, and having occafion
to take out a Letter-Cafe, in which they were among
my other Papers, which inftead of putting it into my
Pocket again, I put it beiide, and fo it fell to the
Ground unobferv'd by me. As I went in Quality of a
Suitor to one of them. Female Curioiity caufed them
to examine it j in order thereto, my Miftrefs and her
Companion, who firft faw it, being unwilling to be di-
fturbed by any Perfon in the Perufual thereof, lock'd
themfelves into a Clofet, and there amongft the reft
they found the aforefaid Letters, the Subjeft of which
was plainly to be difcern'd at firft Sight. Soon after I
was gone I miffed my Letter-Cafe, and running back,
I asked if any Body had feen it ? my Miftrefs who
came to the Door, reply'd very fmartly, Tes, Mifs
Tooke, there it is. I was not able to fpeak for a Mi-
nute or two I was fo confounded, for as I came along I
fancy'd that if they read it they would then certainly
believe that Report which before they had oppofed;
at laft I took Courage to ask her what fhe meant by
cajling me fo ? She reply'd. The Gentleman nuho tjnas
luaiting for me under the Piazza nvould inform me ; I
knew by this they had read them, for one of them be-
gan thus, {Dear Mifs Sukey Tooke) and appointed an
AjTignation under the Piazza in Covent-Garden j I pro-
tefted
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