"But the question is whether we shall be able to prevail upon my
brother to accept any thing, for he grows more and more unwilling to be
obliged, and the reason is, that being poor, he is afraid, I believe,
people should think he wants to beg of them: though if they knew him as
well as I do, they would not long think that, for I am sure he would a
great deal rather be starved to death. But indeed, to say the truth, I
am afraid he has been sadly to blame in this affair, and quarrelled
when there was no need to be affronted; for I have seen a gentleman who
knows a great deal better than my brother what people should do, and he
says he took every thing wrong that was done, all the time he was at
Lord Vannelt's."

"And how does this gentleman know it?"

"O because he went himself to enquire about it; for he knows Lord
Vannelt very well, and it was by his means my brother came acquainted
with him. And this gentleman would not have wished my brother to be
used ill any more than I should myself, so I am sure I may believe what
he says. But my poor brother, not being a lord himself, thought every
body meant to be rude to him, and because he knew he was poor, he
suspected they all behaved disrespectfully to him. But this gentleman
gave me his word that every body liked him and esteemed him, and if he
would not have been so suspicious, they would all have done any thing
for him in the world."

"You know this gentleman very well, then?"

"O no, madam!" she answered hastily, "I don't know him at all! he only
comes here to see my brother; it would be very impertinent for me to