Debt, Imprisonment for -- Fiction; London (England) -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction
"I know," said Lady Levett, "that it is a great charge for you to
conduct a young gentlewoman to town in these bad and dangerous times,
when not only the high roads are thronged with robbers, and the
streets with footpads, but also the very inns swarm with villains, and
gentlemen are not ashamed to insult young persons of respectability in
stage-coaches and public places. But Kitty is a good girl, not giddy,
and obedient. I will admonish her that she obey you in everything upon
the road, and that she keep eyes, ears, and mouth closed all the way."
The good woman undertook to have her eye upon me the whole journey.
Then Lady Levett made her promise that she would take me straight
to St. Paul's Coffee-house, St. Paul's Churchyard, there to inquire
after my uncle's residence, and never leave me until she had seen me
deposited safely in Dr. Shovel's hands.
Now was I in a flutter and agitation of spirits indeed, as was natural,
considering that I was going to leave my native place for the first
time in my life and to seek out new relations.
"Nancy!" I cried, "what will be my lot? What will become of me?"
Nancy said that she would tell my fortune if I would only leave off
walking about and wringing my hands and be comfortable.
Then she sat down beside me in her pretty affectionate way, and threw
her arms round my waist, and laid her head upon my shoulder.
"You are so tall and so pretty, Kitty, that all the men will lose their
hearts. But you must listen to none of them until the right man comes.
Oh! I know what he is like. He will be a great nobleman, young and
handsome, and oh, so rich! he will kneel at your feet as humble as a
lover ought to be, and implore you to accept his title and his hand.
And when you are a great lady, riding in your own coach, as happy as
the day is long, you will forget--oh no, my dear! sure I am you will
never forget your loving Nancy."
Then we kissed and cried over each other in our foolish girls' way,
promising not only kind remembrance, but even letters sometimes. And we
exchanged tokens of friendship. I gave her a ring, which had been my
mother's, made of solid silver with a turquoise and two pearls, very
rich and good, and she gave me a silver-gilt locket with chased back,
and within it a little curl of her hair, brown and soft.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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