These the noises and the speeches as we clattered by the door of the
fair bribress.
Up was brought Dorcas (whimpering) between two, both bawling out—You
must go—You shall go—’Tis fit you should answer for yourself—You are a
discredit to all worthy servants—as they pulled and pushed her up
stairs.—She whining, I cannot see his honour—I cannot look so good and
so generous a gentleman in the face—O how shall I bear my aunt’s
ravings?——
Come up, and be d—n’d—Bring her forward, her imperial judge—What a
plague, it is the detection, not the crime, that confounds you. You
could be quiet enough for days together, as I see by the date, under
the villany. Tell me, ungrateful devil, tell me who made the first
advances?
Ay, disgrace to my family and blood, cried the old one—tell his
honour—tell the truth!—Who made the first advances?——
Ay, cursed creature, cried Sally, who made the first advances?
I have betrayed one trust already!—O let me not betray another!—My lady
is a good lady!—O let not her suffer!—
Tell all you know. Tell the whole truth, Dorcas, cried Polly
Horton.—His honour loves his lady too well to make her suffer much:
little as she requites his love!——
Every body sees that, cried Sally—too well, indeed, for his honour, I
was going to say.
Till now, I thought she deserved my love—But to bribe a servant thus,
who she supposed had orders to watch her steps, for fear of another
elopement; and to impute that precaution to me as a crime!—Yet I must
love her—Ladies, forgive my weakness!——
Curse upon my grimaces!—if I have patience to repeat them!—But thou
shalt have it all—thou canst not despise me more than I despise myself!
But suppose, Sir, said Sally, you have my lady and the wench face to
face! You see she cares not to confess.
O my carelessness! cried Dorcas—Don’t let my poor lady suffer!—Indeed,
if you all knew what I know, you would say her ladyship has been
cruelly treated—
See, see, see, see!—repeatedly, every one at once—Only sorry for the
detection, as your honour said—not for the fault.
Cursed creature, and devilish creature, from every mouth.
Your lady won’t, she dare not come out to save you, cried Sally; though
it is more his honour’s mercy, than your desert, if he does not cut
your vile throat this instant.
Say, repeated Polly, was it your lady that made the first advances, or
was it you, you creature——
If the lady had so much honour, bawled the mother, excuse me, so—Excuse
me, Sir, [confound the old wretch! she had like to have said son!]—If
the lady has so much honour, as we have supposed, she will appear to
vindicate a poor servant, misled, as she has been, by such large
promises!—But I hope, Sir, you will do them both justice: I hope you
will!—Good lack!—Good lack! clapping her hands together, to grant her
every thing she could ask—to indulge her in her unworthy hatred to my
poor innocent house!—to let her go to Hampstead, though your honour
told us, you could get no condescension from her; no, not the least—O
Sir, O Sir—I hope—I hope—if your lady will not come out—I hope you will
find a way to hear this cause in her presence. I value not my doors on
such an occasion as this. Justice I ever loved. I desire you will come
to the bottom of it in clearance to me. I’ll be sworn I had no privity
in this black corruption.