Hamilton, and his spouse and his sister Charlotte now were. Leaving him guarded, I hastened hither to charge you, Sir, with being privy to the injury which I have received, and in which, I am now thoroughly convinced, that I did you injustice; I am assured from your deportment, appearance, and conversation, you cannot be the associate of such a person, even if you have the misfortune to be his brother.”--“Which, Heaven be praised (replied Hamilton), is not the case; but to the disgrace of the family to which I belong, the fellow is married to a near relation of mine.” “But,” said the other hastily, “the unhappy woman may be now concealed in the house,” and he ran out. A message now arrived from O’Rourke, requesting to see Mr. Hamilton in the kitchen of the inn, to which he had been conducted by directions of the landlord, who, having the office of chief magistrate, did not conceive that justice would halt one whit the more, though she carried a barrel or two of his beer with her. Hamilton, after some deliberation, descended and found the preacher in durance, and guarded by two or three stout fellows. He had repeatedly demanded his liberty, and indeed there was no charge against him that could justify legal detention. “Here,” he said, “is my brother Hamilton, who will bail me; I have not been the least to blame, a man put a pistol to my head, and I would confess any thing rather than be shot.” Before Hamilton could make any answer to his repeated applications for assistance, the representative of Ophelia entered the apartment, just as her Hamlet was most solemnly appealing to Heaven for his innocence. With impassioned violence she exclaimed, “innocence! a more guilty wretch disgraces not Newgate. Here is a fellow who, pretending to religion, makes that sacred principle the cloak for his vices; the chief purpose and effects of his sanctified discourses and behaviour; his seduction, fraud, and extortion.” O’Rourke endeavoured to quiet her. “My dare Joanna, won’t you be easy now, consider, we are fellow labourers in the vineyard of the new faith, you yourself have been my chief teacher; the saints in all ancient times, both now and formerly, have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and I must have my own share.” Here Joanna answered in a violent passion:--“But have not you, you villain, after all your oaths and imprecations, deserted me? have not you engaged to give me the slip; to give me up intirely, for this your new mistress? if you are determined to be Punch, Sir, I will be Joan, but I found out your scheme, Sir, and I discovered them to the lady’s husband. I found out the letter, sirrah.” “And so it was you, Mistress,” said O’Rourke, “that exposed me to all this shame and disgrace, but I will pound you to brick-dust for it;” and here he attempted to seize her, but the intervention of the company confined his hands; it did not, however, confine her tongue, and she began a very impassioned, but not