sired to know.

She was not altogether deceived in her expectations: she found that lady
drowned in tears, with a letter lying open before her; and on her
enquiring, with a shew of the utmost concern, the motives of her grief,
the other, who looked on her as her real friend, replied, alas!
Mattakesa, I have cruel enemies; I cannot guess for what cause, for
willingly I never gave offence to any one;--but see, continued she, how
barbarously they have abused my innocence, and represented actions
which, heaven knows, were influenced only by charity and compassion as
the worst of crimes! with these words she gave her the letter which she
had just received from the prince,

Mattakesa took it with a greedy pleasure, and found it contained these
lines:

_To_ EDELLA.

Madam,

"I left you in a place, furnished, as I thought,
with every thing necessary for your satisfaction;
but I find I was mistaken in your constitution,
and that there was something wanting,
which, rather than not possess, you must have
recourse to a prison to procure:--ungrateful
as you are to the affection I have treated you
with, I am sorry for your ill conduct, and could
with you had been, at least, more private in
your amours: few men but would have sent an
order for removing you and the persons, for
whose sake you have made these false steps,
into a place where you would have cause to
curse the fatal inclination that seduced you:
think therefore how much you owe a prince,
who, instead of punishing your faults, contents
himself with letting you know he is not ignorant
of them.--If you make a right use of
the lenity I shew on this occasion, you may
perhaps retrieve some part of the influence you
once had over me; but see the Swedish prisoners
no more, if you hope or desire ever to see

MENZIKOFF."

Mattakesa affected the greatest astonishment on having read this letter;
and after having cursed the persons that put such vile suspicions into
the prince's head, asked her what she intended to do.

What can I do! answered the sorrowful Edella, but write to my lord all
the assurances that words, can give him, which heaven knows I can truly
do, that I never wronged him even in wish or thought; and that since
there are people so cruel to misinterpret to my dishonour, what was
nothing but mere charity, to obey his commands with the utmost
punctuality, and never set my foot into that prison more?

Her false friend could not but applaud her resolu