saving an after-growth of hay, and, our guest offering his
assistance, he was accepted among the number. Our labours went on
lightly, we turned the swath to the wind, I went foremost, and
the rest followed in due succession. I could not avoid, however,
observing the assiduity of Mr Burchell in assisting my daughter
Sophia in her part of the task. When he had finished his own, he
would join in her's, and enter into a close conversation: but I
had too good an opinion of Sophia's understanding, and was too
well convinced of her ambition, to be under any uneasiness from a
man of broken fortune. When we were finished for the day, Mr
Burchell was invited as on the night before; but he refused, as
he was to lie that night at a neighbour's, to whose child he was
carrying a whistle. When gone, our conversation at supper turned
upon our late unfortunate guest. 'What a strong instance,' said
I, 'is that poor man of the miseries attending a youth of levity
and extravagance. He by no means wants sense, which only serves
to aggravate his former folly. Poor forlorn creature, where are
now the revellers, the flatterers, that he could once inspire and
command! Gone, perhaps, to attend the bagnio pander, grown rich
by his extravagance. They once praised him, and now they applaud
the pander: their former raptures at his wit, are now converted
into sarcasms at his folly: he is poor, and perhaps deserves
poverty; for he has neither the ambition to be independent, nor
the skill to be useful.' Prompted, perhaps, by some secret
reasons, I delivered this observation with too much acrimony,
which my Sophia gently reproved. 'Whatsoever his former conduct
may be, pappa, his circumstances should exempt him from censure
now. His present indigence is a sufficient punishment for former
folly; and I have heard my pappa himself say, that we should
never strike our unnecessary blow at a victim over whom