The Fortunate Mistress (Parts 1 and 2)

Thegentleman, perceiving my disorder, said, "I am afraid I have tired yourladyship; I will make but one remove, more easterly, and then I believeyou will allow the place we see to be London."

  He might have saved himself the trouble, for I was thoroughly convincedof my error; but to give myself time to recover, and to hide myconfusion, I seemed not yet to be quite convinced. I looked, and thefirst object that presented itself was Aldgate Church, which, though Iconfess to my shame, I seldom saw the inside of it, yet I was wellacquainted with the outside, for many times my friend the Quaker and Ihad passed and repassed by it when we used to go in the coach to take anairing. I saw the church, or the steeple of the church, so plain, andknew it so well, that I could not help saying, with some earnestness,"My dear, I see our church; the church, I mean, belonging to ourneighbourhood; I am sure it is Aldgate Church." Then I saw the Tower,and all the shipping; and, taking my eye from the glass, I thanked thegentleman for the trouble I had given him, and said to him that I wasfully convinced that the place I saw was London, and that it was thevery place we came from that morning.

  When we came to Sittingbourne, our servant soon brought us word thatalthough we were at the best inn in the town, yet there was nothing inthe larder fit for our dinner. The landlord came in after him and beganto make excuses for his empty cupboard. He told us, withal, that if wewould please to stay, he would kill a calf, a sheep, a hog, or anythingwe had a fancy to. We ordered him to kill a pig and some pigeons, which,with a dish of fish, a cherry pie, and some pastry, made up a tolerabledinner. We made up two pounds ten shillings, for we caused the landlord,his wife, and two daughters, to dine with us, and help us off with ourwine. Our landlady and her two daughters, with a glass or two given tothe cook, managed two bottles of white wine. This operated so strongupon one of the young wenches that, my spouse being gone out into theyard, her tongue began to run; and, looking at me, she says to hermother, "La! mother, how much like the lady her ladyship is" (speakingof me), "the young woman who lodged here the other night, and stayedhere part of the next day, and then set forward for Canterbury,described. The lady is the same person, I'm sure."

  This greatly alarmed me, and made me very uneasy, for I concluded thisyoung woman could be no other than my daughter, who was resolved to findme out, whether I would or no. I desired the girl to describe the youngwoman she mentioned, which she did, and I was convinced it was my owndaughter. I asked in what manner she travelled, and whether she had anycompany. I was answered that she was on foot, and that she had nocompany; but that she always travelled from place to place in company;that her method was, when she came into any town, to go to the best innsand inquire for the lady she sought; and then, when she had satisfiedherself that the lady, whom she called her mother, was not to be foundin that town or neighbourhood, she then begged the favour of thelandlady of the inn where she was, to put her into such a company thatshe knew that she might go safe to the next town; that this was themanner of her proceeding at her house, and she believed she hadpractised it ever since she set out from London; and she hoped to meetwith her mother, as she called her, upon the road.

  I asked my landlady whether she described our coach and equipage, butshe said the young woman did not inquire concerning equipage, but onlydescribed a lady "so like your ladyship, that I have often, since I sawyour ladyship, took you to be the very person she was looking for."

  Amidst the distractions of my mind, this afforded me some comfort, thatmy daughter was not in the least acquainted with the manner in which wetravelled. My husband and the landlord returned, and that put an end tothe discourse.

  I left this town with a heavy heart, feeling my daughter wouldinfallibly find me out at Canterbury; but, as good luck would have it,she had left that city before we came thither, some time. I was veryshort in one thing, that I had not asked my landlady at Sittingbournehow long it was since my daughter was there. But when I came toCanterbury I was a very anxious and indefatigable in inquiring after mydaughter, and I found that she had been at the inn where we then were,and had inquired for me, as I found by the description the people gaveof myself.

  Here I learnt my daughter had left Canterbury a week. This pleased me;and I was determined to stay in Canterbury one day, to view thecathedral, and see the antiquities of this metropolis.

  As we had sixteen miles to our journey's end that night, for it was nearfour o'clock before we got into our coach again, the coachman drove withgreat speed, and at dusk in the evening we entered the west gate of thecity, and put up at an inn in High Street (near St. Mary Bredman'schurch), which generally was filled with the best of company. Theanxiety of my mind, on finding myself pursued by this girl, and thefatigue of my journey, had made me much out of order, my head ached, andI had no stomach.

  This made my husband (but he knew not the real occasion of my illness)and the Quaker very uneasy, and they did all in their power to persuademe to eat anything I could fancy.

  At length the landlady of the inn, who perceived I was more disturbed inmy mind than sick, advised me to eat one poached egg, drink a glass ofsack, eat a toast, and go to bed, and she warranted, she said, I shouldbe well by the morning. This was immediately done; and I mustacknowledge, that the sack and toast cheered me wonderfully, and I beganto take heart again; and my husband would have the coachman in aftersupper, on purpose to divert me and the honest Quaker, who, poorcreature, seemed much more concerned at my misfortune than I was myself.

  I went soon to bed, but for fear I should be worse in the night, twomaids of the inn were ordered to sit up in an adjoining chamber; theQuaker and my waiting-maid lay in a bed in the same room, and myhusband by himself in another apartment.

  While my maid was gone down on some necessary business, and likewise toget me some burnt wine, which I was to drink going to bed, or ratherwhen I was just got into bed, the Quaker and I had the followingdialogue:

  _Quaker._ The news thou heardest at Sittingbourne has disordered thee. Iam glad the young woman has been out of this place a week; she wentindeed for Dover; and when she comes there and canst not find thee, shemay go to Deal, and so miss of thee.

  _Roxana._ What I most depend upon is, that as we do not travel by anyparticular name, but the general one of the baronet and his lady, andthe girl hath no notion what sort of equipage we travelled with, it wasnot easy to make a discovery of me, unless she accidentally, in hertravels, light upon you (meaning the Quaker), or upon me; either ofwhich must unavoidably blow the secret I had so long laboured toconceal.

  _Quaker._ As thou intendest to stay here to-morrow, to see the thingswhich thou callest antiquities, and which are more properly named therelics of the Whore of Babylon; suppose thou wert to send Thomas, who atthy command followeth after us, to the place called Dover, to inquirewhether such a young woman has been inquiring for thee. He may go outbetimes in the morning, and may return by night, for it is but twelveor fourteen miles at farthest thither.

  _Roxana._ I like thy scheme very well; and I beg the favour of you inthe morning, as soon as you are up, to send Tom to Dover, with suchinstructions as you shall think proper.

  After a good night's repose I was well recovered, to the greatsatisfaction of all that were with me.

  The good-natured Quaker, always studious to serve and oblige me, got upabout five o'clock in the morning, and going down into the inn-yard, metwith Tom, gave him his instructions, and he set out for Dover before sixo'clock.

  As we were at the best inn in the city, so we could readily havewhatever we pleased, and whatever the season afforded; but my husband,the most indulgent man that ever breathed, having observed how heartilyI ate my dinner at Rochester two days before, ordered the very same billof fare, and of which I made a heartier meal than I did before. We werevery merry, and after we had dined, we went to see the town-house, butas it was near five o'clock I left the Quaker behind me, to receive whatintelligence she could get concerning my daughter, from the footman, whowas expected to return from Dover at six.

  We came to the inn just as it was
dark, and then excusing myself to myhusband, I immediately ran up into my chamber, where I had appointed theQuaker to be against my return. I ran to her with eagerness, andinquired what news from Dover, by Tom, the footman.

  She said, Tom had been returned two hours; that he got to Dover thatmorning between seven and eight, and found, at the inn he put up at,there had been an inquisitive young woman to find out a gentleman thatwas a Dutch merchant, and a lady who was her mother; that the youngwoman perfectly well described his lady; that he found that she hadvisited every public inn in the town; that she said she would go toDeal, and that if she did not find the lady, her mother, there, shewould go by the first ship to the Hague, and go from thence, toAmsterdam and Rotterdam, searching all the towns through which shepassed in the United Provinces.

  This account pleased me very well, especially when I understood that shehad been gone from Dover five days. The Quaker comforted me, and said