924 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



friendly tone, all that you hare now 

 told me may bs true ; I have not 

 such a bad opinion of you, even to 

 doubt it. But there is no reason 

 for me to enquire about the matter ; 

 I have nothing to do w itli it ; it is 

 none of my business. You have 

 parents and a rich aunt; so nuch 

 the better for you ; I wish you a 

 good night, 1 must retire. I expect 

 my mother every minute, and if sh^- 

 found me here so late in the evening 

 talking with a man, she would make 

 a tine uproar, and in which she 

 would certainly not be to blame. 



Upon this the young man took 

 Agnes by the hand with a friendly 

 force, and entreated her, sobbing, 

 (and 1 really believe the poor fellow 

 shed tears) not to send him away so 

 iconifortless. 1 beg of you. dearly 

 as I love you, sweet Agnes, to re- 

 main here a little longer ; how caa 

 you have the heart to part with rae 

 in this maimer, good naturedas j'ou 

 are . . . Do but see now, said Agnes, 

 laughing, tliis is too foolish to mind: 

 how cau you kuow whether I am 

 good naturcd or not, when this is 

 the first time you ever spoke to nic, 

 or have you been enquiring about 

 me, as you want me to do about 

 you ? 



Enquire about you, my dear 

 Agnes! about you! I had rather 

 lose my life. I want no information; 

 I am certain that you are good na- 

 turcd, that you are virtuous, and 

 that you are as deserving a young 

 woman as any livii.g. Do not ask 

 me how I know it ; I sec it in your 

 dear face, and I feel it in my heart : 

 that cannot deceive me, and 1 would 

 stake my life for its truth. But 

 hearken. Agnes, I should be sorry 

 your mother should scold you upon 

 my account, and I also feel your 

 little hands gro\r as CQld as ice ; 



only let me ask yoa on« question : 

 Is there another Jorer who may- 

 have spoken to you first ? if so, 1 

 would drop the affair, notwithstand- 

 ing the hardship it would be to me, 

 because I am too honest to endea- 

 vour to be another man's hinder- 

 ance. 



As to this, says Agoes, I will give 

 you a direct answer. No, I have 

 Dft^er iiad any lover, neither do I 

 want any, be he whom he will ; I 

 can easily wait eight or ten years 

 for that, and 1 love my mother too 

 much lo leave her so soon. There- 

 fore, neighbour, do not give your- 

 self any fruitless trouble about me. 

 In the situation 3*ou have represent- 

 ed yourself, you will soon find a, 

 haudsomer girl than I am, and pcr> 

 haps a pretty penny into tlie bar- 

 gain, which you will not get with 

 me, for my mother and I have 

 enough to do, with oecouomy, to 

 get through the world creditably. 



So much the better, my dear 

 Agnes, said the youug man ; so much 

 the more pleasure 1 shall have, if I 

 may be so happy as to enable you to 

 live more comfortably. Oh ! if I 

 might obtain from you, my dear 

 Agues, leave to visit you now and 

 theu : if you would only grant me 

 this favour, I would not wish to 

 change with the richest Bnrgermas- 

 ter's S3n in the whole city. — At any 

 rate, said Agnes, you cannot ask 

 that of me, but of my mother. But 

 you need not trouble yourself about 

 that, because she would not listea 

 to it, and if she did, I should not 

 allow it. Once is as good as a thou- 

 sand times, and I tell you I will 

 have nothing to do with lovers. — 

 But, my dear Agnes, may not I 

 now and then pass by your door? 



Well, silly boy, says she, laughs 

 jngj caa I hinder that? is not the 



street 



