_ True.

_Mrs. H._ And then you went to the river?

_Pet._ True.--Why, rabbit it, I believe you're a witch.

_Mrs. H._ Well, and what happened further?

_Pet._ Why, you see, his dear little Excellency would see the bridge,
that father built out of the old summer house; and the streamers, and
the boat, and all that.--I only turned my head round for a moment, to
look after a magpie--crush! down went the bridge, with his little
Excellency; and oh, how I was scared to see him carried down the river!

_Bar._ And you drew him out again directly?

_Pet._ No, I didn't.

_Mrs. H._ No; your father did?

_Pet._ No, he didn't.

_Mrs. H._ Why you did not leave him in the water?

_Pet._ Yes, we did!--But we bawled as loud as we could; you might have
heard us down to the village.

_Mrs. H._ Ay--and so the people came immediately to his assistance.

_Pet._ No, they didn't: but the Stranger came, that lives yonder, close
to old Toby, and never speaks a syllable. Odsbodlikins! what a devil of
a fellow it is! With a single spring bounces he slap into the torrent;
sails and dives about and about like a duck; gets me hold of the little
angel's hair, and, Heaven bless him! pulls him safe and sound to dry
land again.--Ha! ha! ha!

_Bar._ Is the Stranger with them?

_Pet._ Oh lud! no. He ran away. His Excellency wanted to thank him, and
all that; but he was off; vanquished like a ghost.

_Enter SOLOMON._

_Sol._ Oh! thou careless varlet! I disown you! What an accident might
have happened! and how you have terrified his Excellency! But I beg
pardon, [_Bows._] His Right Honourable Excellency, the Count, requests
your--

_Bar._ We come. [_Exit, with MRS. HALLER._

_Char._ Ha! ha! ha! Why, Mr. Solomon, you seem to have a hopeful pupil.

_Sol._ Ah! sirrah!

_Char._ But, Mr. Solomon, why were you not nimble enough to have saved
his young lordship?

_Sol._ Not in time, my sweet Miss. Besides, mercy on us! I should have
sunk like a lump of lead: and I happened to have a letter of consequence
in my pocket, which would have been made totally illegible; a letter
from Constantinople, written by Chevalier--What's his name? [_Draws a
letter from his pocket, and putting it up again directly, drops it.
PETER takes it up, slily and unobserved._] It contains momentous
matter, I assure you. The world will be astonished when it comes to
light; and not a soul will suppose that old Solomon had a finger i