tell things as they were, it was scarcely possible to guess by my manner
that I was under any anxiety, I acted my part so well, or so ill. As
Harriot Freke jumped out of the coach, a cock crowed in the area of her
sister's house: 'There!' cried Harriot, 'do you hear the cock crow, Lady
Delacour? Now it's to be hoped your fear of goblins is over, else I would
not be so cruel as to leave the pretty dear all alone.' 'All alone!'
answered I: 'your friend the colonel Is much obliged to you for making
nobody of him.' 'My friend the colonel,' whispered Harriot, leaning with
her bold masculine arms on the coach door--'my friend the colonel is much
obliged to me, I'm sure, for remembering what the cunning or the knowing
woman told us just now: so when I said I left you alone, I was not guilty
of a bull, was I?' I had the grace to be heartily ashamed of this speech,
and called out, in utter confusion, 'To Berkley-square. But where shall I
set you down, colonel? Harriot, good morning: don't forget you are in
man's clothes.' I did not dare to repeat the question of 'where shall I
set you down, colonel?' at this instant, because Harriot gave me such an
arch, sneering look, as much as to say, 'Still afraid of yourself!' We
drove on: I'm persuaded that the confusion which, in spite of all my
efforts, broke through my affected levity, encouraged Lawless, who was
naturally a coxcomb and a fool, to believe that I was actually his, else
he never could have been so insolent. In short, my dear, before we had got
through the turnpike gate, I was downright obliged to say to him, 'Get
out!' which I did with a degree of indignation that quite astonished him.
He muttered something about ladies knowing their minds; and I own, though
I went off with flying colours, I secretly blamed myself as much as I did
him, and I blamed Harriot more than I did either. I sent for her the next
day, as soon as I could, to consult her. She expressed such astonishment,
and so much concern at this catastrophe of our night's frolic, and blamed
herself with so many oaths, and execrated Lawless for a coxcomb, so much
to the ease and satisfaction of my conscience, that I was confirmed in my