madam, said he, she be but virtuous, 'tis all in all:
For all the rest is accident. But I doubt his honour has been too much
upon the jest with me. No, said Mrs. Peters, we are all witnesses, that
he intends very honourably by her.--It is some comfort, said he, and
wiped his eyes, that such good ladies say so--But I wish I could see
her.

They would have had him sit down by them; but he would only sit behind
the door, in the corner of the room, so that one could not soon see him
as one came in; because the door opened against him, and hid him almost.
The ladies all sat down; and my master said, Desire Mrs. Jewkes to step
up, and tell Mrs. Andrews the ladies wait for her. So down I came.

Miss Darnford rose, and met me at the door, and said, Well, Miss
Andrews, we longed for your company. I did not see my dear father; and
it seems his heart was too full to speak; and he got up, and sat down
three or four times successively, unable to come to me, or to say any
thing. The ladies looked that way: but I would not, supposing it was
Mr. Williams. And they made me sit down between Lady Darnford and
Lady Jones; and asked me, what we should play at? I said, At what your
ladyships please. I wondered to see them smile, and look upon me, and to
that corner of the room; but I was afraid of looking that way, for fear
of seeing Mr. Williams; though my face was that way too, and the table
before me.

Said my master, Did you send your letter away to the posthouse, my good
girl, for your father? To be sure, sir, said I, I did not forget that:
I took the liberty to desire Mr. Thomas to carry it. What, said he, I
wonder, will the good old couple say to it? O sir, said I, your goodness
will be a cordial to their dear honest hearts! At that, my dear father,
not able to contain himself, nor yet to stir from the place, gushed out
into a flood of tears, which he, good soul! had been struggling with, it
seems; and cried out, O my dear child!

I knew the voice, and, lifting up my eyes, and seeing my father, gave a
spring, overturned the table, without regard to the company, and threw
myself at his feet: O my father! my father! said I, can it be?--Is it
you? Yes, it is! it is!--O bless your happy daughter! I would have said,
and down I sunk.

My master seemed concerned--I feared, said he, that the surprise would
be too much for her spirits; and all the ladies ran to me, and made me
drink a glass of water; and I found myself encircled in the a