take John as your groom, so as to let us be married before my belly
gets big, as I am afraid it will do after this naughty fellow has been
into it, I shall do all I can to enable you to enjoy Miss Laura, and I
have no doubt we shall soon find means to accomplish it. What do you
say?"

I replied that I was afraid such an arrangement would hardly answer. In
the first place, I could not turn away my present servant, and
secondly, I was afraid that if John were in my service he might perhaps
be apt to be jealous of his master.

She laughed and said that would never do. She, however, soon came to an
agreement that I should exert myself to find a better situation for
John, and I promised her that if I succeeded with Laura, she should
make her a present of fifty pounds as a wedding gift on condition that
she acted in all respects as I desired and exerted herself to promote
my object and conceal our proceedings from everyone. She stipulated
that she was sometimes to have the enjoyment of the charming article
which she still continued to fondle, and this I willingly promised, but
I warned her that she must be very careful that her Mistress should not
suspect our intercourse in the least, as I was quite sure from what I
knew of her proud disposition it would ruin all my hopes, as she would
never consent to be the rival of her waiting-maid. I easily satisfied
her that even for her own sake the utmost caution was absolutely
necessary, and having now obtained all the information she could give
me and the dinner bell ringing, I hastened to the drawing room.

If I had perceived an alteration in Laura's appearance, she had
evidently been no less struck with the change that had taken place in
my person, and she expressed her surprise at my having grown so much. I
fancied I could perceive that there was some curiosity to ascertain
what was the extent of the change which had taken place in a certain
quarter, and I caught her eyes more than once glancing in a direction
where she must have perceived symptoms of a growth at least
corresponding to that of the other parts of my body. I was induced to
think that she was by no means displeased with the discovery from her
manner towards me, which instead of being as formerly haughty and
condescending was now frank and friendly. On entering the drawing room
I found that Sir Hugh had not yet made his appearance, and that it
would still be a few minutes before we went to dinner. I was conscious