female fex. But if untoward circumftances have rendered every care to preferve that, ineffectual; and either ill-founded fufpicions, or an unguarded moment, have caft a ftain upon it; the confcioufnefs of a purity of intention fhould enable us to fet at defiance the flanders of that many-tongued demon, who, "making the wind his post-horse, is "continually ftuffing the ears of men with "falfe reports."

A few mornings after, my maid brought me a packet that had been left for me; which upon opening, I found to contain ten bank bills of one hundred pounds each, inclofed in a blank cover. I directly concluded that fuch an inftance of munificence could only come from the nobleman I have lately mentioned. Upon revolving in my mind the circumftance, and endeavouring to trace from probability the fender, I could fix on no one that feemed fo likely to be the perfon as his Lordfhip. But as a prefent of fuch magnitude could not come from any one who was not greatly interested about me, I judged the perfon that fent it would not remain long concealed; I therefore locked up the packet with a determination not to break into the fum it contained upon any account, but to wait the event.

Mr. Metham being to dine with me, I afked Colonel Sandford to accompany him; as I thought a tete-a-tete, in the prefent fitua

tion

tion of affairs between us, would be aukward, and not very agreeable to both. And with these two gentlemen came Mr. Calcraft, with whom Metham was now grown very intimate. Mrs. Lane, the fecond daughter of Mrs. Rich, happening accidentally to fall in, fhe made likewife one of the party..

During dinner I was regretting that I could not obtain places to fee the new pantomime of Harlequin Sorcerer," the houses being fo crowded that there was not a feat to be got. Upon which Mrs. Lane politely offered to procure feats for me, any evening I fhould chufe to go, as well as for the young Dives, who ftill continued to be generally with me. As I was not engaged the Saturday following at the theatre, that evening was fixed on for my going. The dear friend of the unfufpecting Metham, Mr. Calcraft, now propofed to the gentlemen a party to Oxford on fome pretext or other. As the Colonel and Mr. Metham were both men of pleasure, they readily accepted the offer; and it was agreed that they fhould fet off the next morning.

LETTER XLVII.

Oct. 26, 17-.

R. GARRICK, in order to fill his

MR house, was now obliged to play very

often himself. And having had fuch ill fuccefs with all his new pieces, except " The

Mafque of Alfred," he determined in future to stick to his old ones; which he had always experienced to be both ftaple and lucrative. His appearing in Hamlet on the Saturday, which had been announced fome time, gave me an opportunity of availing myself of Mrs. Lane's intereft at Covent-Gar den. She herself did me the favour to accompany me; and I took with me Mifs Dives and her two brothers.

Soon after we were feated, to my great furprife, I heard my places called for; and who fhould make his appearance but Mr. Calcraft. After a thousand apologies for the liberty he had taken, he feated himself; and as we were confined for room, he was obliged to take one of the boys upon his knee. I then naturally enquired, why he did not purfue his journey to Oxford; and whether Mr. Metham was returned? He gave me for anfwer, that he had been obliged to come back upon fome very extraordinary bufinefs, an express having overtaken him at Salt-hill,

to

to recall him to town; but that the two gentlemen had continued their rout.

As Mr. Calcraft was a man of bufinefs, this story paffed current with me. Indeed as I could not entertain the most distant idea that he could have had the prefumption to conceive any design upon me, or the vanity to attempt to rival Metham, the excufe he made carried with it an appearance of probability, and paffed without further notice. At the conclufion of the piece, he handed us to the carriage, and requested permiffion to wait upon us home. This I confented to, and when we were fet down, I asked him to stay fupper.

It being very late before the entertainment was concluded, fupper was not over till near two. And as there was neither coach nor chair to be got for Mrs. Lane, and my carriage was fet up, Mr. Calcraft offered her his chair, which was in waiting. As that lady's houfe was as far off as Cary street, Lincoln'sInn Fields, he was obliged to stay a confiderable time before his chairmen could return. This procured him a tete-à-tete, which otherwife he could never have obtained.

Before I proceed, it will be neceffary to give fome defcription of a perfon who will conftitute fo confpicuous a part in the dramatis perfonæ of my work. He was at that time called boneft Jack Calcraft. Whether his conduct fince intitles him to this invalu

ment.

able epithet, I fhall leave to your difcernHe was tall, rather inclined to be en bon point, of a florid complexion, blue eyes, auburn hair; and, taken together, the had a manly handfome face, and a well made. perfon; but from a flouch he had by fome means or other contracted, or perhaps from not having learned to dance, as Coupèe fays, he had a certain vulgarity in his figure, that was rather difgufting. Indeed, but few men appeared to advantage when Mr. Metham was prefent, as his form was eminently attracting, and his deportment truly elegant. Mr. Calcraft did not attempt to impofe himfelf on his acquaintance, either as a man of letters or a wit. He had fenfe enough to know that fuch a deception would prove too 'manifeft to pafs without difcovery.

His father was the town clerk of Grantham. He had given his fon a country school 'education, that is, he could read indifferently; but to make amends for this he was an adept in figures, and was perfectly acquainted with keeping a ledger. This qualification, joined to unremitted affiduity, enabled him, from being a clerk with a falary of only forty pounds a year, to acquire a princely fortune.

When we were left alone, the converfation turned upon the impropriety of Mr. Metham's behaviour to me, at which he had been prefent fome days before. He faid, it was only to be excufed, by confidering it as

the