furnished, and though I like not the old gentlewoman, yet she seems
obliging, and her kinswomen are genteel young people.

"I am exceedingly out of humour with Mr. Lovelace, and have great reason
to be so. He began by letting me know that he had been to inquire the
character of the widow. It was well enough, he said, but as she lived by
letting lodgings and had other rooms in the houses which might be taken
by the enemy, he knew no better way than to take them all, unless I
would remove to others.

"It was easy to see he spoke the slighter of the widow to have a
pretence to lodge here himself, and he frankly owned that if I chose to
stay here he could not think of leaving me for six hours together. He
had prepared the widow to expect that we should be here only a few days,
till we could fix ourselves in a house suitable to our condition.

"'Fix _ourselves_ in a house, Mr. Lovelace?' I said. 'Pray in what
light?'

"'My dearest life, hear me with patience. I am afraid I have been too
forward, for my friends in town conclude me to be married.'

"'Surely, sir, you have not presumed----'

"'Hear me, dearest creature. You have received with favour my addresses,
yet, by declining my fervent tender of myself you have given me
apprehension of delay. Your brother's schemes are not given up. I have
taken care to give Mrs. Sinclair a reason why two apartments are
necessary for us in our retirement.'