too, it may be,' said I; 'for truly I find the hazard
that way is as much as 'tis t'other way'; but I remember I said
secretly to myself, 'I wish you would ask me the question fairly, I
would consider very seriously on it before I said No.'

He went on a good way with me, and I thought once or twice he was in
earnest, but to my real affliction, I found at last he had a wife; but
when he owned he had a wife he shook his head, and said with some
concern, that indeed he had a wife, and no wife. I began to think he
had been in the condition of my late lover, and that his wife had been
distempered or lunatic, or some such thing. However, we had not much
more discourse at that time, but he told me he was in too much hurry of
business then, but that if I would come home to his house after their
business was over, he would by that time consider what might be done
for me, to put my affairs in a posture of security. I told him I would
come, and desired to know where he lived. He gave me a direction in
writing, and when he gave it me he read it to me, and said, 'There
'tis, madam, if you dare trust yourself with me.' 'Yes, sir,' said I,
'I believe I may venture to trust you with myself, for you have a wife,
you say, and I don't want a husband; besides, I dare trust you with my
money, which is all I have in the world, and if that were gone, I may
trust myself anywhere.'

He said some things in jest that were very handsome and mannerly, and
would have pleased me very well if they had been in earnest; but that
passed over, I took the directions, and appointed to attend him at his
house at seven o'clock the same evening.

When I came he made several proposals for my placing my money in the
bank, in order to my having interest for it; but still some difficulty
or other came in the way, which he objected as not safe; and I found
such a sincere disinterested honesty in him, that I began to muse with
myself, that I had certainly found the honest man I wanted, and that I
could never put myself into better hands; so I told him with a great
deal of frankness that I had never met with a man or woman yet that I
could trust, or in whom I could think myself safe, but that I saw he
was so disinterestedly concerned for my safety, that I said I would
freely trust him with the management of that little I had, if he would
accept to be steward for a poor widow that could give him no salary.

He smiled and, standing up, with great respect salut