hours in reading. But after Christmas, business required all his attention; and neither books nor pleasure could draw him from his duty.

He had formed a few acquaintance, and was much attached to a young man, whose father was a respectable merchant, of the name of Crosby, and who had paid great attention to Henry, at the recommendation of Mr. Pendleton. His son, Frederick, was a youth of amiable disposition and pleasing manners. Like Henry, he was warm, open, generous, and impetuous; but he had not, like Henry, been nurtured in the school of adversity. He was fond of pleasure to excess; and as his purse was but too well supplied by his indulgent father, he was ever in the pursuit of amusement; and his generosity would have made Henry

the companion, and the partaker of all his enjoyments. But this the delicacy, the independence of his mind would by no means submit to; and as his little

store was now growing very low, he rather avoided occasions of meeting with Frederick, who had always something to propose, some place to see, or some party to meet, which, in one shape or other, was productive of expence.

"I thought thou didst very wrong," said Mrs. Pendleton to her husband, "when thou broughtest our Henry and Frederick Crosby together: he will mislead him, and do him more mischief than if he had been introduced to a young man that was downright wicked. From such an one the pure mind of Henry' would have started with disgust; but Frederick is amiable, is insinuating; his faults, in many instances, proceed from his natural sweetness of temper, and unbounded generosity in him the soil is good, but it produces many weeds along with its flowers. Truly, I fear much that he will greatly injure our Henry."

"I trust our Henry will rather do him good, than receive evil from him. But

thou knowest London is a furnace, in which youth must be tried; if it come out pure gold, it will be so much the more valuable, thou knowest."

As the spring advanced, business again allowed him more leisure; and the public gardens, and various places of new amusement, pressed on his attention, Frederick was ever at his elbow, soliciting his company, and painting, in the most fascinating colours, the pleasures that awaited him. Mr. Goodwin was on a journey; Mr. Pendleton was engaged entirely with arranging papers, previous to the meeting of the Friends in London; and Henry was left solely to his own discretion. This circumstance, which might have been vain to a weak mind, was preservation to a strong one. He felt the responsibility of his situation, and resisted every importunity to leave home for a single evening." If I am not wanted,” he would say, yet it is my duty to

stay, and see that those below me remain, and do their duty; in short, I am determined to stay: you may teaze me, but you cannot tempt me."

Though Henry had no money at this time, yet as his half-year's salary would, he knew, be paid in the course of a few weeks, this was no longer a motive with him, as he could have borrowed a few guineas either of Frederick, or several others. But he now saw himself in Mr. Goodwin's situation, without the benefit of his established character; and though he was naturally gay, fond of pleasure, and liked to cut a little dash among others, yet being sensible that his situation demanded all his care, and that there were some in the warehouse who could not be watched too narrowly, he would not allow his thoughts to wander, much less his steps; but finding himself continually assailed by importunities it was painful to resist, from one he could

not help loving, he at last wrote the following letter, and sent the porter with it to Frederick:

46 DEAR SIR,

We have been some time acquaintance-but by no means friends. If you are inclined to take, in good part, the confidential information and advice I am about to offer you, we will become friends; if not, we had better cease to be acquaintance. Know then, that I am one of five children: my father was an officer, and the son of an officer, who was a younger brother, and had no fortune but his sword; of course he could bequeath none. My mother was the daughter of a clergyman, who with great care was enabled to save about a thousand pounds: on the interest of this and her pension, my mother, grandmother, two sisters, now young women, and a little brother, now live in Lincolnshire. Their situation is lonely,

H