fhe was ftill the woman of his heart: he ftill feized every opportunity to gaze on her lovely face, to liften to her melodious voice, and to offer her, though with the greatest diffidence, his hand. She alfo, on her fide, would often fay to one of her intimate female friends, "Oh my dear Harriot, what would I not give, that Courtney had a fortune equal to my own!" While fhe was talking in this ftrain one day to this friend, Harriot replied, "Why fhould you be so anxious about money, my dear Clara. You have a great deal; you cannot poffibly want any more. Befides, it would be an act of true generofity to raise a pretty fellow; and the reflections arifing from fuch an act, must furely produce infinite fatisfaction." And fo my dear Harriot, (replied Clara) you would have me reward a man for being mercenary, and give myself to a fellow, who, most probably, has nothing in view but my fortune; who has diftinguished me only on that account; and who, fhould he fall in the way of a ftill richer woman, would, doubtlefs, give me up immediately for a more advantageous alliance. No, no, Harriot-a woman can never be fure that a man is fincere, if he has a fhilling less than herfelf." There may be be fome truth in what you fay, (answered Harriot,) yet, methinks, I fhould like to make the fortune of the man I loved." Clara replied with a blush, which clearly discovered the fituation of her mind, "When I am in love, Harriot, I may poffibly think as you do." In a very few months after this converfation, Sir William, by the unexpected death of a first coufin, as young and as likely to live as himself, became poffeffed of a fortune three times larger than that in the poffeffion of Mifs Bendifh; and the pleafure which he felt from fo confiderable an acquifition, was greatly increafed by the feeling himfelf in a fituation to renew his addreffes to his lovely Clara with more confidence. Some men, indeed, would have been so disgufted at a first refufal, that they would not have hazarded a fecond; they would have probably thought that the Lady who could reject a man merely on account of the fmallnefs of his fortune, and receive him upon his gaining an addition to it, was of a very fordid difpofition. Sir William's fentiments upon this occafion were of a more liberal kind: he confidered the behaviour of the woman whom he loved with the greatcft candour; he made due allowance for the deference deference which fuch a young Lady pays to her relations and friends, as they commonly prefer the accumulation of riches to every thing elfe. He thought alfo, fhe might very rationally wish to have her conduct approved by that world in which fhe made fo confpicuous a figure. These confiderations, joined to the contemptible idea he had of his own fortune, when he firft addreffed her, made him most readily excufe her proceedings at that time; and having now no doubts of fuccefs, he offered himself again to the fole object of his wishes, exclufive of all pecuniary motives. He offered himself again, and, to his extreme furprize was again rejected. Surprized-diftreffed at his fecond difmiffion, he would have expoftulated with her upon the cruelty of her behaviour; but fhe was not capable of entering into the difcuffion of a subject in which her heart was fo deeply interefted, and by which it was fo tenderly affected. She left him abruptly; but fhe left him-determin'd to relinquifh his hopes. Clara, flying to her friend; told her how much it had coft her to reject the man who had ever, she was now thoroughly convinced, loved her with the fincereft affection-loved her for herself alone; adding, that she was refolved to retire immediately into the country, as fhe could not, fhe was certain, refift the looks, the fighs, the importunities of the amiabie Courtney, if fhe continued expofed to the fight of him. "And why fhould you make fuch a refiftance?" faid Harriot: "Have you not tried him? Have you not found him moft deferving?" Yes, (replied Clara,) and fhall I be lefs deferving than he is? Oh no! He fhall never think me mercenary." In confequence of her new refolutions, Mifs Bendifh removed from London, and went down to one of her country houses. Sir William, as foon as he heard of her departure, followed her. One afternoon, Clara having strolled into her garden, with a tender tale in her hand, which brought to her mind all that had paffed between herfelf and her beloved Sir William, fhe became fo fatigued by walking in the fun, that fhe was glad to retire to a bench, in the moft fhady fituation. On that feat, ftill oppreffed with the heat, fhe fell asleep, and her book foon dropped out of her hand. At that moment, Sir William having bribed the gardener to let him into the garden when his miftrefs was alone, made his appearence. He flood "root-bound" at the fight of her, for fome time, and then threw himself into an attitude of rapture, which love infpired.-What were his tranfports, while he remained in that attitude, when he heard her give a vent to the ideas which floated in her mind, during the apparent ceffation of reflection! "Yes, Courtney," the transported lover heard her fay," Yes Courtney, you I love fincerely; but I cannot bear to be thought under the influ ence of interested views." This involuntary effufion was fufficient for the enamoured hearer of it, who then ventured to wake her from a dream of pleafure, to the "fober certainty" of real delight.-She blushed at having dif covered, undefignedly, the fecret of her heart to Sir William; but she had no reason, when she had given him her hand, to repent of her unicn with him, as he made an exemplary husband. They had both, indeed, fufficient reason to be fatisfied with the dream, and looked upon it as the foundation of all their felicity. ANECDOTE O F King George the Second, URING the fiege of Fort St. Philip, a young |