Page:The Adventures of David Simple (1904).djvu/85

 ordered in the house in the most frugal and best manner possible; yet she could seldom get a good word from the man she endeavoured to please. Her modest behaviour, love to her husband, and tenderness for her children, in short, everything she did or said, raised a great compassion in David, and a strong desire to know her story, which he took the first opportunity of desiring her to relate. She for a great while excused herself, saying, she could not tell her story without reflecting on the man she was unwilling to blame. But on David's assuring her everything should be a secret, and that he would exert the utmost of his power to serve her, she was at last prevailed on to give the following account of her life. As you seem, sir, so desirous of knowing my misfortunes, I cannot refuse complying with your request, though the remembrance of most of the scenes of my life brings nothing but melancholy thoughts to my mind, which I endeavour as much as possible to avoid. Indeed, I have so few comforts, that it's well my being continually obliged to employ myself in feeding and covering these my little ones, prevents my having time to think so much as otherwise I should. "My father was a great distiller in the city, and I was bred up with the utmost tenderness and care, till I was ten years old, when he died and left me to the care of an elder brother, to depend on his pleasure for my support. He was a sort of man it is impossible to draw any character of, for I never knew him to do one action in my lifalife [sic], that was not too much in the common road to be remarked. He kept me in his house without either abusing or showing the least affection towards me; by which sort of behaviour he neither gained my love nor my hatred, but I lived a dull lifalife [sic] with very few things to amuse me; for as all the companions I used to