MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 



B31 



that such was the usual custom, 

 among the most virtuous girls, when 

 the men did not behave too grossly, 

 than James added, see now, my dear 

 Agnes, the gentleman himself says 

 so, and every thing went on us 

 smoothly as rain slides from a slated 

 pent-house. This game pleased me 

 wonderfully well, but no tongue 

 can tell how James fed in clover : 

 his happiness was so great, that it 

 might be said he was hardly able to 

 bear it. 



When this had continued a little 

 M'hile, the father knocked on the 

 table with the haft of a knife ; hark, 

 my friends, said he, there is a tiuie 

 for all things ..... Here the 

 mother interrupted him : come hus- 

 band, let me speak. You see, Mr. 

 Counsellor, the young people are 

 not averse to each other; my master 

 and I do not objedl to their mar- 

 riage, neither docs' Agnes's mother. 

 Moreover, our aunt is very fond of 

 ,\gnes, and loves James so much, 

 that she thinks, and so do we, mat- 

 ters should becoucludod, the sooner 

 the better : but mention Is n)ade of 

 marriage conditions ; with these we 

 are unacquainted, and beg, as you 

 have always been our friend, you 

 will lend us your assistance. 



Hearken mother, said I, I shall 

 give yon my sentiments candidly : 

 what need mc trouble ourselves 

 about marriage settlements ? the 

 young people love each other, and 

 where heart and boily ;ire in com- 

 mon, money ought likewise to be 

 so. You express yourself well, said 

 the father ; an angel speaks out of 

 your mouth, echoed .James; but, 

 requesting their attention a little 

 longer, I thus continued: — Al- 

 though I do not certainly know, 

 yet I have reason to suspect that 

 Agnes's mother is not in such ai- 



fluent circumstances as my client, 

 and that probably the young woman, 

 besides her economy and know- 

 ledge of housekeeping, possesses 



little or nothing, but The 



aunt here burst out, How, little or 

 nothing ? no, no, that shall not go 

 thus : I do not understand it so, 

 and shall never permit it if it was 

 ever so : not at all. 



Not a little astonished at such an 

 unexpected interruption, and think- 

 ing no otherwise than that she want- 

 ed to put a clog to the wheel ; how, 

 said I, what do you mean by this? 

 I always though c the match was to 

 your liking; from whence, then, 

 arises this sudden and unaccounta- 

 ble change ? 



Who says T have altered my mind ? 

 says aunt ; but I again repeat, that 

 I will not sulFer the girl to bring no- 

 thing for her portion : if her mo- 

 ther cannot give her any thing, I 

 shall. I know James is to have a 

 thousand rix-dollars, and she shall 

 have the like, ar.d t'lis will be no 

 hindrance to you, niece Kitty, for 

 if you meet with a worthy young 

 man, although he has not a doit in 

 the world, you shall have the same. 

 L'pon this the whole company re- 

 covered their spirits, especially 

 James, who, on hearing his aunt's 

 first words, grew as paic as a crimi- 

 nal who iiad just heard his sentence 

 of death pronounced. 



A general silence still continuing, 

 she resumed, well, what do you 

 stare at me for ? 1 hope you do not 

 think I am become so suddenly ge- 

 nerous because [ have drank a glass 

 too much : what I say I mean; sei^d 

 lor a notary to write it down : what 

 I am now doing I always intended, 

 for I am old, and not accustomed 

 to live expensively, so that [ cannot 

 spend all my money, and 'lis all the 

 3 2 5amc 



