Page:Adventures of Roderick Random.pdf/78

 Mrs. Sagely had counselled me, I told her I had been ship wrecked, I and four more, who chanced to be on the deck, made shift to swim to the shore, where my companions, after having overpowered me, stript me to the shirt, and left me as imagined, dead of the wounds. Then I related the circumstances of my being found in a barn, with the inhuman treatment I met with from the country people and parson, which I perceived drew tears from the charming creature's eyes.

When their dinner was over, I and my fellow servants down to ours in the kitchen, where I understood that Sir Timothy Thicket was  for Narcissa by her brother. This information begat in me a mortal aversions to Sir Timothy, whom I looked upon as my rival and even conceived hopes of one day enjoying this amiable young creature, whose affability encouraged me.

I had already been eight months in the station of a footman when an accident happened, that put an end to my servitude and, for the present, banished all hopes of succeeding in my love. Narcissa went one day to visit Miss Thicket who lived within a mile of our house and was persuaded to walk home in the cool of the evening, accompanied by Sir Timothy, who having a good deal of the brute in him, was instigated to use some unbecoming familiarities with her. The lovely crea-