“Let Uncle choose Our ways for us—or we the way shall lose. For know you, Cousin, all these miser men”—— 110 “Nay, my dear James!”— “Our worthy Uncle, then, And all, like Uncle, like to be obey’d By their dependants, who must seem afraid Of their own will.—If we to wed incline, You’ll quickly hear him peevishly repine, Object, dispute, and sundry reasons give, To prove we ne’er could find the means to live; And then, due credit for his speech to gain, He’ll leave us poor—lest wealth should prove it vain. Let him propose the measure, and then we 120 May for his pleasure to his plan agree. I, when at last assenting, shall be still But giving way to a kind Uncle’s will; Then will he deem it just, amends to make To one who ventures all things for his sake; So, should you deign to take this worthless hand, Be sure, dear Patty, ’tis at his command!” But Patty questioned—“Is it, let me ask, The will of God that we should wear a mask?” This startled James: he lifted up his eyes, 130 And said with some contempt, besides surprise, “Patty, my love! the will of God, ’tis plain, Is that we live by what we can obtain; Shall we a weak and foolish man offend, And when our trial is so near our end?” This hurt the maiden, and she said, “’Tis well! Unask’d I will not of your purpose tell, But will not lie.”— “Lie! Patty, no, indeed; Your downright lying never will succeed! A better way our prudence may devise 140 Than such unprofitable things as lies. Yet, a dependant, if he would not starve, The way through life must with discretion carve, And, though a lie he may with pride disdain, He must not every useless truth maintain. If one respect to these fond men would show, Conceal the facts that give them pain to know; While all that pleases may be placed in view, And, if it be not, they will think it true.” The humble Patty dropp’d a silent tear, 150 And said, “Indeed, ’tis best to be sincere.” James answer’d not—there could be no reply To what he would not grant nor could deny; But from that time he in the maiden saw What he condemn’d; yet James was kept in awe. He felt her virtue, but was sore afraid For the frank blunders of the virtuous maid. Meantime he daily to his Uncle read The news, and to his favourite subjects led: If closely press’d, he sometimes staid to dine, 160 Eat of one dish, and drank one glass of wine; For James was crafty grown, and felt his way To favour, step by step, and day by day; He talk’d of business, till the Uncle prized The lad’s opinion, whom he once despised, And, glad to see him thus his faults survive, “This Boy,” quoth he, “will keep our name alive. Women are weak, and Patty, though the best Of her weak sex, is woman like the rest: An idle husband will her money spend, 170 And bring my hard-earn’d savings to an end.”