930 



ANNUAL REGISTE.R, 1805. 



do who come floating on a straw : 

 nobody has any claims on us, not 

 even for a farthing. 



In thf mean time James hardly 

 eat or drank any thing ; he satiated 

 and intoxicated himself with gazing 

 at his beloved. He eyed her inces- 

 santly, as if he beheid her for the 

 first time in his lilc, or rather as if 

 lie should never see her again. One 

 would have sworn he was deaf and 

 dumb, except towards Avhat related 

 to Agnes. Although he certainly 

 did not grudge her her dinner, he 

 continually took hold of her hand, 

 and looked at it as if he were su'ina 

 to eat it, but let go his hold ten 

 times in a quarter of an hour, after 

 one or other of the following repri- 

 mands: — Are not you ashamed, 

 James? bequict: let me loose; what 

 will people think ? upon which 

 James immediately begged pardon, 

 and the next minute was at it again. 

 "^Vhen the dishes, which were all 

 good of tlie kind, \vere removed, 

 the whole family, except Agnes and 

 James, retired into the next roou) 

 for a few minutca; and, as I only 

 remained with the lovers, James, 

 who had, instead ofnne, drank tive or 

 six glasses of wine to Agnes's health, 

 transported with love, and over- 

 powered with wine, took hold of 

 J>is angel's arm, and attempted to 

 ravish a few kisses. But the sweet 

 girl was much displeased, and pushed 

 him gently aside. Is that well done, 

 my dear Mr. Counsollor, now we 

 have got so far ? said James, with 

 a distressed look. Well James, an- 

 swered I, the lass is not so much in 

 the wrong: remember the old saying, 

 *' VV^isc before people, and mad in a 

 corner." — In a corner, interrupted 

 he, that is worse; but, sir, you are 

 such a worthy man that I appeal to 

 youj whether, as the bargain :? now 



4 



almost concluded, there can be any 

 harm in her gri^nting me a trilling 

 favour now and then by way of 

 earnest. Hark, James, was my 

 answer, Agnes behaves extremely 

 wt.ll, for, in general, in these kind of 

 bargains, the niore earnest is given, 

 the less they are stood to. I haU no 

 sooner said this, to the great sur- 

 prise of James, who thought it im- 

 possible for his patron to give it 

 against him in a thing which ap- 

 ])earod to him so very reasonable, 

 than the company returned, and I, 

 afler having privately exchanged a 

 few words with the father and mo- 

 ther, took my leave, as 1 had some 

 pressing business to transact, but on 

 condition of sujjping with them. 



When 1 returned, I found my 

 friends in another apartment, play- 

 ing a round game at cards, and was 

 told that James had been conti- 

 nually making mis(akes, as his 

 thoughts were otherwise engaged. 

 Soon after we returned to the din- 

 ing-room, where we lound the ta- 

 ble covered with the cold beef, a 

 small ham, a sallad, pickled her- 

 rings, smoked beef, butter and 

 cheese, a'nionds and raisins, neatly 

 ])luccd. \^'e seated ourselves as at 

 dinner; our aunt, wJiO seemed to 

 rt:!ish the Mine much, after declar- 

 ing that the sight of the young j)eo- 

 ple's courtshij) renewed her youth, 

 began to sing : 1 took the opportu- 

 nity, as nineli lor my own sake as 

 that of James, of asking the good 

 old soul if she did not remember 

 any song of old times where kissing 

 was mentioned. 



She was immediately ready, and 

 channted one in her best manner, 

 wherein kisses were stuck as thick 

 as hail-stones. The girls, esjjecially 

 Agnes, were at first extremely shy, 

 bi;t I had no sooner i^sjured them 



that 



