d. Said he, Will you come down to breakfast,
my love? O no, dear sir, said I; be pleased to excuse me! said he,
I cannot bear the look of it, that the mistress of my house should
breakfast in her closet, as if she durst not come down, and I at
home!--O, dearest sir, replied I, pray pass that over, for my sake; and
don't let my presence aggravate your sister, for a kind punctilio! Then,
my dear, said he, I will breakfast with you here. No, pray, dear sir,
answered I, breakfast with your sister. That, my dear, replied he, will
too much gratify her pride, and look like a slight to you.--Dear sir,
said I, your goodness is too great, for me to want punctilious proofs of
it. Pray oblige her ladyship. She is your guest surely, sir, you may be
freest with your dutiful wife!

She is a strange woman, said he: How I pity her!--She has thrown herself
into a violent fit of the colic, through passion: And is but now, her
woman says, a little easier. I hope, sir, said I, when you carried her
ladyship out, you did not hurt her. No, replied he, I love her too well.
I set her down in the apartment she had chosen: and she but now desires
to see me, and that I will breakfast with her, or refuses to touch any
thing. But, if my dearest please, I will insist it shall be with you at
the same time.

O, no, no, dear sir! said I; I should not forgive myself, if I did. I
would on my knees beg her ladyship's goodness to me, now I am in your
presence; though I thought I ought to carry it a little stiff when you
were absent, for the sake of the honour you have done me. And, dear sir,
if my deepest humility will please, permit me to shew it.

You shall do nothing, returned he, unworthy of my wife, to please the
proud woman!--But I will, however, permit you to breakfast by yourself
this once, as I have not seen her since I have used her in so barbarous
a manner, as I understand she exclaims I have; and as she will not
eat any thing, unless I give her my company.--So he saluted me, and
withdrew; and I locked the door after him again for fear.

Mrs. Jewkes soon after rapped at the door. Who's there? said I. Only
I, madam. So I opened the door. 'Tis a sad thing, madam, said she,
you should be so much afraid in your own house. She brought me some
chocolate and toast; and I asked her about my lady's behaviour. She
said, she would not suffer any body to attend but her woman, because she
would not be heard what she had to say; but she believed, she said, h