ound. No man in the world had suffered
more from calumny than he himself had done.

Women, he owned, ought to be more scrupulous than men needed to be where
they lodged. Nevertheless he wished that fact, rather than surmise, were
to be the foundation of their judgments, especially when they spoke of
one another.

He meant no reflection upon her Ladyship's informants, or rather
surmisants, (as he might call them,) be they who they would: nor did he
think himself obliged to defend characters impeached, or not thought well
of, by women of virtue and honour. Neither were these people of
importance enough to have so much said about them.

The pretended Lady Betty said, all who knew her, would clear her of
censoriousness: that it gave her some opinion, she must needs say, of the
people, that he had continued there so long with me; that I had rather
negative than positive reasons of dislike to them; and that so shrewd a
man as she heard Captain Tomlinson was had not objected to them.

I think, niece Charlotte, proceeded she, as my nephew had not parted with
these lodgings, you and I, (for, as my dear Miss Harlowe dislikes the
people, I would not ask her for her company) will take a dish of tea with
my nephew there, before we go out of town; and then we shall see what
sort of people they are. I have heard that Mrs. Sinclair is a mighty
forbidding creature.

With all my heart, Madam. In your Ladyship's company I shall make no
scruple of going any where.

It was Ladyship at every word; and as she seemed proud of her title, and
of her dress too, I might have guessed that she was not used to either.

What say you, cousin Lovelace? Lady Sarah, though a melancholy woman, is
very inquisitive about all your affairs. I must acquaint her with every
particular circumstance when I go down.

With all his heart. He would attend her whenever she pleased. She would
see very handsome apartments, and very civil people.

The deuce is in them, said the Miss Montague, if they appear other to us.

She then fell into family talk; family happiness on my hoped-for
accession into it. They mentioned Lord M.'s and Lady Sarah's great
desire to see me: how many friends and admirers, with uplift hands, I
should have! [Oh! my dear, what a triumph must these creatures, and he,
have over the poor devoted all the time!]--What a happy man he would be!
--They would not, the Lady Betty said, give themselves the mortification
but to suppose tha