stupid; yawning and stretching, instead of humming a tune as thou didst
at Smith's.

I assisted to get the poor man into bed. He was so weak and low, that he
could not bear the fatigue, and fainted away; and I verily thought was
quite gone. But recovering, and his doctor coming, and advising to keep
him quiet, I retired, and joined Mowbray in the garden; who took more
delight to talk of the living Lovelace and levities, than of the dying
Belton and his repentance.

I just saw him again on Saturday night before I went to bed; which I did
early; for I was surfeited with Mowbray's frothy insensibility, and could
not bear him.

It is such a horrid thing to think of, that a man who had lived in such
strict terms of--what shall I call it? with another; the proof does not
come out so, as to say, friendship; who had pretended so much love for
him; could not bear to be out of his company; would ride an hundred miles
on end to enjoy it; and would fight for him, be the cause right or wrong:
yet now, could be so little moved to see him in such misery of body and
mind, as to be able to rebuke him, and rather ridicule than pity him,
because he was more affected by what he felt, than he had seen a
malefactor, (hardened perhaps by liquor, and not softened by previous
sickness,) on his going to execution.

This put me strongly in mind of what the divine Miss HARLOWE once said to
me, talking of friendship, and what my friendship to you required of me:
'Depend upon it, Mr. Belford,' said she, 'that one day you will be
convinced, that what you call friendship, is chaff and stubble; and that
nothing is worthy of that sacred name,