This Scout was one of those fellows who, without any
knowledge of the law, or being bred to it, take upon
them, in defiance of an act of Parliament, to act
as lawyers in the country, and are called so.
They are the pests of society, and a scandal to a
profession, to which indeed they do not belong, and
which owes to such kind of rascallions the ill-will
which weak persons bear towards it. With this
fellow, to whom a little before she would not have
condescended to have spoken, did a certain passion
for Joseph, and the jealousy and the disdain of poor
innocent Fanny, betray the Lady Booby into a familiar
discourse, in which she inadvertently confirmed many
hints with which Slipslop, whose gallant he was, had
pre-acquainted him; and whence he had taken an opportunity
to assert those severe falsehoods of little Fanny which
possibly the reader might not have been well able to
account for if we had not thought proper to give him
this information.
CHAPTER IV.
A short chapter, but very full of matter; particularly
the arrival of Mr Booby and his lady.
All that night, and the next day, the Lady Booby past
with the utmost anxiety; her mind was distracted and
her soul tossed up and down by many turbulent and
opposite passions. She loved, hated, pitied, scorned,
admired, despised the same person by fits, which changed
in a very short interval. On Tuesday morning,
which happened to be a holiday, she went to church,
where, to her surprize, Mr Adams published the banns
again with as audible a voice as before. It was
lucky for her that, as there was no sermon, she had
an immediate opportunity of returning home to vent
her rage, which she could not have concealed from the
congregation five minutes; indeed, it was not then
very numerous, the assembly consisting of no more
than Adams, his clerk, his wife, the lady, and one
of her servants. At her return she met Slipslop,
who accosted her in these words:—“O
meam, what doth your ladyship think? To be sure,
lawyer Scout hath carried Joseph and Fanny both before
the justice. All the parish are in tears, and
say they will certainly be hanged; for nobody knows
what it is for”—“I suppose they
deserve it,” says the lady. “What!
dost thou mention such wretches to me?”—“O
dear madam,” answered Slipslop, “is it
not a pity such a graceless young man should die a
virulent death? I hope the judge will take commensuration
on his youth. As for Fanny, I don’t think
it signifies much what becomes of her; and if poor
Joseph hath done anything, I could venture to swear
she traduced him to it: few men ever come to
a fragrant punishment, but by those nasty creatures,
who are a scandal to our sect.” The lady
was no more pleased at this news, after a moment’s
reflection, than Slipslop herself; for, though she
wished Fanny far enough, she did not desire the removal
of Joseph, especially with her. She was puzzled
how to act or what to say on this occasion, when a
