bert! Shame, confufion, and remorse, stopped my utterance, and I stood motionlefs before him. My mafter," faid he, with the ftifled voice of wonder and of fear, and threw himself at my feet. I had recovered my recollection. "You are revenged," faid I," and I am your prisoner." "Revenged! Alas! you have judged too hardly of me; I have not had one happy day fince that fatal one on which I left my master; but I have lived, I hope, to fave him. The party to which I belong are paffed; for I lingered behind them among those woods and rocks which I remembered fo well in happier days.-There is, however, no time to be loft. In a few hours this wood will blaze, though they do not suspect that it shelters you. Take my drefs, which may help your efcape, and I will endeavour to difpofe of yours. On the coaft, to the weftward, we have learned there is a fmall party of your friends, which, by following the river's track till dufk, and then ftriking over the shoulder of the hill, you may join without much dauger of difcovery."I felt the disgrace of owing fo much to him I had injured, and remonftrated against exposing him to fuch imminent danger of its being known that he had favoured my efcape, which, from the temper of his commander, I knew would be inftant death. Albert, in an agony of fear and distress,

befought

befought me to think only of my own safety."Save us both," faid he, " for if you die, I cannot live. Perhaps we may meet again; but whatever becomes of Albert, may the bleffing of God be with his mafter !"

Albert's prayer was heard. His mafter, by the exercise of talents which, though he always poffeffed, adverfity only taught him to use, acquired abroad a station of equal honour and emo- : lument; and when the profcriptions of party had ceased, returned home to his own country, where he found Albert advanced to the rank of a Lieutenant in the army, to which his valour and merit had raised him, married to a Lady by whom he had got some little fortune, and the father of an only daughter, for whom nature had done much, and to whose native endowments it was the chief study and delight of her parents to add every thing that art could bestow. The gratitude of the chief was only equalled by the happiness of his follower, whofe honeft pride was not long after gratified, by his daughter's becoming the wife of that mafter whom his generous fidelity had faved. That mafter, by the clemency of more indulgent and liberal times, was again reftored to the domain of his ancestors, and had the fatisfaction of feeing the grandfon of Albert enjoy the hereditary birthright of his race.

I ac

companied

companied Colonel Cauftic on a vifit to this gentleman's house, and was delighted to obferve his grateful attention to his father-in-law, as well as the unaffuming happiness of the good old man, confcious of the perfect reward which his former fidelity had met with. Nor did it escape my notice, that the sweet boy and girl, who had been our guests at the Colonel's, had a favourite brown and white spaniel, whom they carreffed much after dinner, whofe name was Ofcar.

No 62. SATURDAY, April 8. 1786.

Abfentem rufticus urbem

Tollis ad aftra levis.

HOR.

To the AUTHOR of the LOUNGER.

SIR,

THE

Mufbroom-Hall, 1ft April 1786.

HE indulgence which you showed to my correspondence when in town, emboldens me to hope for the fame favourable reception of my letters from the country. Here, Mr Lounger, I have much more time to write; but unfortunately I have much fewer fubjects; and those too none of the most enlivening. I think there is a fort of fatality in it, that I am always in low fpirits when I fit down to write to you. These conftant easterly winds do affect one's nerves fo!

I told you in my laft, that my fifter-in-law talked of going to London, and perhaps to the Continent; and how unwilling I should be to accompany her. She is actually gone fome weeks ago, and I was not asked to be of the party; but VOL. II.

Y

fhe

she has taken her favourite Mifs Gufto, becaufe fhe can talk French a little more glibly, having been bred at a London boarding-fchool; though my French mafter fays it is execrable patois, and won't be understood by people of fashion. Well! I don't desire to detract from any body; but fome people are fingular in their favourites. But it don't fignify; we can be very happy at home, though it was a little cross to leave Edinburgh juft when one had got into the humour of it; and when one began to know people a little, and people began to know one, which takes fome time, you know, Mr Lounger, especially with people who are not quite fo forward as fome people, who are greater favourites with fome people than other people are.

You must know that our fociety in Edinburgh had latterly become much more agreeable to me, from our intimacy with Mrs Rattle, who came lately from Spa, where fhe had gone for the recovery of her health, being vaftly fubject to low fpirits whenever the remains long in this climate. Mrs Rattle was pleased to take very particular notice of me, being delighted, she said, with a certain naiveté, of which I was poffeffed; though Mrs Mushroom, who was jealous of her attention to me, faid it was only because I was the best hearer of her acquaintance. Be that as it may, the was always