or him, another for herself. All this while not a
word on either side; a stupid stare was all the face I could put on this
strange visit.

The tea was made, and the landlady, unwilling, I suppose, to lose any
time, observing my silence and shyness before this entire stranger:
"Come, Miss Fanny," says she, in a coarse familiar style, and tone of
authority, "hold up your head, child, and do not let sorrow spoil that
pretty face of yours. What! sorrows are only for a time; come, be free,
here is a worthy gentleman who has heard of your misfortunes, and is
willing to serve you; you must be better acquainted with him, do not you
now stand upon your punctilios, and this and that, but make your market
while you may."

At this so delicate, and eloquent harangue, the gentleman, who saw I
loooked frighted and amazed, and, indeed, incapable of answering, took
her up for breaking things in so abrupt a manner, as rather to shock
than incline me to an acceptance of the good he intended me then,
addressing himself to me, told me "he was perfectly acquainted with my
whole story, and every circumstance of my distress which he owned was a
cruel plunge for one of my youth and beauty to fall into.... that he had
long taken a liking to my person, for which he appealed to Mrs. Jones,
there present; but finding me so deeply engaged to another, he had lost
all hopes of succeeding, till he had heard the sudden reverse of fortune
that had happened to me, on which he had given particular orders to my
landlady to see that I should want for nothing; and that, had he not
been forced abroad to the Hague, on affairs he could not refuse himself
to, he would himself have attended me during my sickness;... that on
his return, which was the day before, he had, on learning my recovery,
desired my landlady's good offices to introduce him to me, and was
as angry, at least, as I was shocked, at the manner in which she had
conducted herself towards obtaining him that happiness; but, that to
show me how much he disdained her procedure, and how far he was from
taking any ungenerous advantage of my situation, and from exacting
any security for my gratitude, he would before my face, that instant,
discharge my debt entirely to my landlady, and give me her receipt in
full; after which I should be at liberty either to reject or grant his
suit, as he was much above putting any force upon my inclinations."

Whilst he was exposing his sentiments to me, I ventured just