'Your own niece!' said I, meekly kneeling to receive her blessing--'Lady Cherubina De Willoughby, the daughter of your ladyship's deceased brother, Lord De Willoughby, and of his much injured wife, the Lady Hysterica Belamour!' 'Never heard of such persons in all my life!' cried she, ringing the bell furiously. 'Pray,' said I, 'be calm. Act with dignity in this affair. Do not disgrace our family. On my honour, I mean to treat you with kindness. Nay, we must positively be on terms of friendship--I make it a point. After all, what is rank? what are riches? How vapid their charms, compared with the heartfelt joys of truth and virtue! O, Lady Gwyn, O, my respected aunt; I conjure you by our common ties of blood, by your brother, who was my father, spurn the perilous toy, fortune, and retire in time, and without exposing your lost lord, into the peaceful bosom of obscurity!' 'Conduct this wretch out of the house,' said her ladyship to the servant who had entered. 'She wants to extort money from me, I believe.' 'A moment more,' cried I. 'Where is old Eftsoones? Where is that worthy character?' 'I know no such person,' said she. 'Begone, impostor!' At the word impostor, I smiled; drew aside my ringlets with one hand, and pointed to my inestimable mole with the other. 'Am I an impostor now?' cried I. 'But learn, unfortunate woman, that I have a certain parchment too.'---- 'And a great deal of insolence too,' said she. 'The resemblance of it, at least,' cried I, 'for I have your ladyship's portrait.' 'My portrait!' said she with a sneer. 'As sure as your name is Nell Gwyn,' cried I; 'for Nell Gwyn is written under it; and let me add, that you would have consulted both your own taste, and the dignity of our house better, had you got it written Eleanor instead of Nell.' 'You little impertinent reprobate!' exclaimed she, feeling the peculiar poignancy of the sarcasm. 'Begone this moment, or I will have you drummed through the village!' I waved my hand in token of high disdain, and vanished. 'Well,' said Stuart, as I got to the carriage, 'has her ladyship acknowledged your claims?' 'No, truly,' cried I, 'but she has turned me out of my own house--think of that!' 'Then,' said he, springing from the chaise, 'I will try whether I cannot succeed better with her ladyship;' and he went into the house. I remained in a state of the greatest perturbation till he came back. 'Good news!' cried he. 'Her ladyship wishes to see you, and apologize for her rudeness; and I fancy,' added he, with a significant nod, 'all will go well in a certain affair.' 'Yes, yes,' said I, nodding in return, 'I flatter myself she now finds civility the best of her game.'