h; and thus I appeared, leaving the world to guess who
or what I was, without offering to put myself forward.

I walked sometimes in the Mall with my woman Amy, but I kept no company
and made no acquaintances, only made as gay a show as I was able to do,
and that upon all occasions. I found, however, the world was not
altogether so unconcerned about me as I seemed to be about them; and
first I understood that the neighbours began to be mighty inquisitive
about me, as who I was, and what my circumstances were.

Amy was the only person that could answer their curiosity or give any
account of me; and she, a tattling woman and a true gossip, took care to
do that with all the art that she was mistress of. She let them know
that I was the widow of a person of quality in France, that I was very
rich, that I came over hither to look after an estate that fell to me by
some of my relations who died here, that I was worth L40,000 all in my
own hands, and the like.

This was all wrong in Amy, and in me too, though we did not see it at
first, for this recommended me indeed to those sort of gentlemen they
call fortune-hunters, and who always besieged ladies, as they called
it--on purpose to take them prisoners, as I called it--that is to say,
to marry the women and have the spending of their money. But if I was
wrong in refusing the honourable proposals of the Dutch merchant, who
offered me the disposal of my whole estate, and had as much of his own
to maintain me with, I was right now in refusing those offers which came
generally from gentlemen of good families and good estates, but who,
living to the extent of them, were always needy and necessitous, and
wanted a sum of money to make themselves easy, as they call it--that is
to say, to pay off encumbrances, sisters' portions, and the like; and
then the woman is prisoner for life, and may live as they give her
leave. This life I had seen into clearly enough, and therefore I was not
to be catched that way. However, as I said, the reputation of my money
brought several of those sort of gentry about me, and they found means,
by one stratagem or other, to get access to my ladyship; but, in short,
I answered them well enough, that I lived single and was happy; that as
I had no occasion to change my condition for an estate, so I did not see
that by the best offer that any of them could make me I could mend my
fortune; that I might be honoured with titles indeed, and in time rank
on publ