doubt but the mention of my name, which you are at perfect liberty to use, will be considered as a sufficient recommendation; in which case you may enter on your service immediately.'
Thanking the friendly office keeper for his disinterested kindness, she received the direction and without further delay proceeded on her mission.
After walking for nearly an hour, she arrived at the house, and while her heart swelled high with hope knocked at the door, which was instantly opened by a middle-aged woman of rather forbidding aspect, her whole appearance bespeaking her to belong to that laborious class termed charwomen, who may at any time be hired for a day or longer, in the absence of a regular servant.
On inquiring for Miss B-she was answered in a strong Irish brogue,
'And is it the young mistress you're speaking of? Och! then, just be sitting there awhile and I'll be after bringing ye to the fore in a jiffy, me darlin'.'
She ascended the stairs and shortly returning continued in the same strain.
'Ye'll jist mount them stairs, and ye'll see thecreature herself. Faith, and it's no bad quarters ye'll be getting, an ye can manage to palaver the mistress.'
Delia, following the woman's direction, entered a neat drawing room and beheld a young lady of exquisite form seated on a sofa, engaged in poring over the contents of a volume she held in her hand; but as she raised her head at thesound of the opening door, what was Delia's surprise when her astonished eyes rested on the well- known features of one of her most intimate playfellows in infant days-the daughter of a poor cottager formerly in the employment of her late father!
She started a few paces back and exclaimed involuntarily, 'Good God! is it possible? Do I really behold Rebecca T-?'
'Delia L-s!' cried the other as the book fell from her hands. 'Heavens! how is it that I see you here? But tarry not a moment, fly from this hateful spot; for should the arch destroyer once behold those dazzling charms you are lost!'
And as Delia was about to speak, she placed her hand upon her mouth to prevent reply and continued: 'Waste not the precious moments in useless inquiries, which now I cannot answer; in a few minutes he will be here-tell me only where you can be found and I will shortly pay you a visit.'
Having obtained the necessary directions, she almost thrust the astonished Delia down stairs in her anxiety to see her once more safely in the street; this done, the door was quickly closed and Delia, pondering on the singular behaviour of her old acquaintance, was slowly and sorrowfully proceeding towards her humble lodgings; she had scarcely turned the corner of the street, however, when someone touched her shoulder; upon turning her head she beheld a most benign looking old gentleman, apparently between sixty and seventy years of age; he was very respectably attired in a suit of black, wore powder, and his general appearance was that of a clergyman of the established church.
He begged pardon for the liberty he had taken but begged to inquire if he was mistaken in his belief that she was the same person who had a minute before quitted the house, No. 29, in the next street. Upon her answering in the affirmative he informed her that he was the owner of the house, and having from some distance perceived her leaving it he had hastened to overtake her, and he now very politely begged she would inform him to what circumstance he was indebted for the intended honour of such a visit.
As she gazed upon his venerable countenance, so different in appearance from what her alarmed imagination had pictured from the few words which had fallen from Rebecca in alluding to him, she found it impossible to reconcile the idea of the reverend looking gentleman before her being the arch destroyer from whose sight her friend had appeared so very anxious to conceal her. She even began to suspect the motives of the latter and that she might have some secret object in view in thus preventing their meeting, so greatly was she interested by the respectful, nay, almost paternal, look with which he regarded her while speaking.
After truly stating to him the motive with which she had sought his house that morning (concealing only the singular recognition between herself and his reputed daughter), he expressed his regret that one so young and beautiful should be reduced to a state of servitude so much beneath her deserts; adding that it was quite evident nature had intended her for a very different sphere of life; for his own part, he was satisfied that she had seen better days and begged so earnestly that she would acquaint him with the story of her misfortunes that shame alone prevented her from fully gratifying his curiosity; again and again did he solicit her full confidence, urging, as a reason, that when he knew all it might probably be in his power to procure for her a situation more worthy of her acceptance than the humble one that she had that day applied for.
Delia at length permitted him to accompany her home, determined to hide nothing from so benevolent a man, but by a candid acknowledgment of her real situation endeavour to prove herself worthy of the generous friend whom-she was now fully persuadedHeaven had sent to her relief.
He listened with the greatest attention and absolutely shed tears as she related the cause and manner of her ruin. He called upon Heaven to pour forth its direst vengeance on the head of the cruel despoiler who could have the heart to abandon one so young, so innocent, and so lovely. Moved by his tears and the interest he appeared to take in her misfortunes, she endeavoured in her turn to soothe the violence of his emotions; and as he called her his dear suffering child, allowed him to take what he termed a fatherly salute; he now insisted on sending the landlady for some refreshment; and a cold fowl and ham, with two bottles of wine, were procured from a neighbouring tavern, of which, as he said, for the purpose of preventing her from thinking that he was actuated by any immoral motive, the landlady was invited to partake.
After upwards of two hours had been passed in cheerful conversation he rose to depart, begging that he might be allowed to repeat his visit on the following day, which being granted he took his leave, the landlady escorting him downstairs; but, to the surprise of Delia, half an hour elapsed ere he left the house; and it was evident that he had been, during the whole of that period, in earnest conversation with the gratified hostess, who returned to Delia with eyes beaming with delight.
'Well,' she exclaimed, 'here's a friend indeed! You may thank your lucky stars-he has desired me to let you want for nothing and has given me this five pound note to meet any present emergency; and this excess of feeling upon his part, he has just informed me with tears in his eyes, arises from the extraordinary likeness you bear to a dearly beloved daughter, of whom he was deprived by death some four years ago; so striking, he says, is the resemblance that he could almost imagine that Heaven had restored his lost child to bring peace and happiness once again to the heart of a bereaved father.'
Early on the following morning she was visited by Rebecca, who, anxious to account for her apparent want of feeling towards the friend of her infancy, hastened to give the requisite explanation. It appeared that Mr. B. had first beheld her at the village school when she had scarcely entered into her fourteenth year; he was frequently in the habit of calling and questioning the children and evinced much satisfaction at their gradual improvement; he seemed more particularly struck with Rebecca and having at various times made her several trifling presents, she, as might be expected from a girl of such tender age, could not conceal the pleasure she derived whenever she saw him coming.
But how great was her astonishment, on one Sunday afternoon while sitting with her father in their humble cottage, to see Mr. B' accompanied by an elderly lady, crossing the little garden which fronted their abode.
'There, my dear,' said he, addressing the lady as they entered, 'there, my dear, this is my little favourite; what do you think of her? I hope you'll acknowledge that I have done her no more than justice in the description I have given.'
The lady, whom he now introduced as his wife, replied with a smile,
'Well, indeed, if she be as good as she is pretty I should say you certainly have not. Come hither, child, what say you-should you like to quit the country to live with me in London?'
Rebecca curtsied, and frankly replied, 'Yes, ma'am, if my father pleases.'
Mr. B. then proceeded to explain: He had been greatly attracted towards Rebecca from the time he had first beheld her, in consequence of the extraordinary resemblance which she bore to an only daughter (this was, in fact, his usual mode of accounting for his singular attachments), and hearing of her father's extreme poverty he had spoken of his intentions to his wife, whom he had at last prevailed upon to accompany him in order that she might judge for herself; the result, he was happy to say, was perfectly satisfactory-and should it meet with his (the father's) approbation, she might prepare herself to accompany them to London in the following week, where she would be in every respect treated as their own child.
