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and being in my tour thro' those parts, I took the liberty of calling at his seat, having formerly had the honour of being known to his lady when at her father's house, and whom I now heard, to my great concern, was indisposed, otherwise have been glad to pay my respects to her. The nobleman answered, with tears in his eyes, that she was indeed in a condition such as give no hope of her recovery, but that she sometimes saw company, tho' obliged to receive them in bed, having lost the use of her limbs, and would perhaps be glad of the visit of a person she had known so long.

      On this I told him my name, which he immediately sent in; and her woman not long after came from her to let me know she would admit me. My lord went in with me; and to countenance what I said, I accosted her with the freedom of a person who had been acquainted when children, spoke of her father as of a gentleman who had favoured me with his good-will, tho', in reality, I had never seen him in my life, but remembered well enough what she had mentioned to me concerning him, and some others of her family, to talk as if I had been intimate among them. I could perceive she was very well pleased with the method I had taken of introducing myself; and, to prevent any suspicion that I had any other business with her than to pay my compliments, made my visit very short that day, not doubting but she would of herself contrive some means of entertaining me without witnesses, as she easily found her lord had desired I would make the castle my home while I stayed in that part of the country.

      I was not deceived; the next morning having been told her lord was engaged with his steward, she sent for me, and making some pretence for getting rid of her woman, she plucked a paper from under her pillow, and putting it into my hand,--in that, said, you will find the secret I mentioned in my letter;--suspect not the veracity of it, I conjure you, nor love the unfortunate Horatio and Louisa less for their being mine.

      I cannot express the confusion I was in, continued Dorilaus, at her mentioning you and your brother, but I had no opportunity of asking any questions:--her woman that instant returned, after which I stayed but a short time, being impatient to examine the contents, which, as near as I can remember, were to this purpose:

      "You were scarce out of France before I

       discovered our amour had produced such

       consequences as, had my too fond passion given

       me leave to think of, I never should have hazarded:--I

       will not repeat the distraction I

       was in;--you may easily judge of it:--I

       communicated the misfortune to my nurse,

       who you know I told you went from England

       with me, and has often brought you messages

       from the convent:--the faithful creature did

       her utmost to console me for an evil which was

       without a remedy:--to complete my confusion,

       my father commanded me home; my lord

       M----e was returned from his travels:--we

       were both of an age to marry; and it

       was resolved, by our parents, no longer to

       defer the completion of an affair long before

       agreed upon.--I was ready to lay violent hands

       on myself, since there seemed no way to conceal

       my shame; but my good nurse having set

       all her wits to work for me, found out an expedient

       which served me, when I could think

       of nothing for myself.--She bid me be of

       comfort; that she thought being sent for home

       was the luckiest thing that could have happened,

       since nothing could be so bad as to have my

       pregnancy discovered in the convent, as it

       infallibly must have been had I stayed a very little

       time longer: she also assured me she would

       contrive it so, as to keep the thing a secret

       from all the world.--I found afterwards she

       did not deceive me by vain promises.--We

       left Paris, according to my father's order, and

       came by easy journeys, befitting my condition,

       to Calais, and embarked on board the packet for

       Dover; but then, instead of taking coach for London,

       hired a chariot, and went cross the country

       to a little village, where a kinswoman of my

       nurse's lived.--With these people I remained

       till Horatio and Louisa came into the world:--I

       could have had them nursed at that place, but

       I feared some discovery thro' the miscarriage of

       letters, which often happens, and which could

       not have been avoided being sent on such occasions;--so

       we contrived together that my

       good confident and adviser should carry them

       to your house, and commit the care of them

       to you, who, equal with myself, had a right to

       it:--she found means, by bribing a man that

       worked under your gardener, to convey them

       where I afterwards heard you found and received

       them as I could wish, and becoming the

       generosity of your nature.--I then took coach

       for London, pretending, at my arrival, that I

       had been delayed by sickness, and to excuse my

       nurse's absence, said she had caught the fever

       of me;--so no farther enquiry was made, and

       I soon after was married to a man whose worth

       is well deserving of a better wife, tho' I have

       endeavoured to attone for my unknown transgression

       by every act of duty in my power:--nurse

       stayed long enough in your part of the

       world to be able to bring me an account how

       the children were disposed of.--That I never

       gave you an account they were your own, was

       occasioned by two reasons, first, the danger of

       entrusting such a thing by the post, my nurse

       soon after dying; and secondly, because, as I

       was a wife, I thought it unbecoming of me to

       remind you of a passage I was willing to forget

       myself.--A long sickness has put other thoughts

       into my head, and inspired me with a tenderness

       for those unhappy babes, which the shame

       of being their mother hitherto deprived them

       of.--I hear, with pleasure, that you are not

       married, and are therefore at full liberty to

       make some provision for them, if they are yet

       living, that may alleviate the misfortune of

       their birth. Farewell; if I obtain this first and

       last request, I shall dye well satisfied."

       "P.S. Burn this paper, I conjure you, the moment you have read it; but lay the contents of it up in your heart never to be forgotten."

      I now no longer wondered, pursued Dorilaus, at that impulse I had to love you;--I found it the simpathy of nature, and adored the divine power.--After having well fixed in my mind all the particulars of this amazing secret, I performed her injunction, and committed

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