ness of that age dissipated, too soon, my reflections on
that irreparable loss; but nothing contributed more to recon-
cile me to it, than the notions that were immediately put
into my head, of going to London, and looking out for a 
service, in which I was promised all assistance and advice
from one Esther Davis, a young woman that had been down to
see her friends, and who, after the stay of a few days, was
to return to her place.

     As I had now nobody left alive in the village who had
concern enough about what should become of me to start any
objections to this scheme, and the woman who took care of
me after my parents; death rather encouraged me to pursue
it, I soon came to a resolution of making this launch into
the wide world, by repairing to London, in order to SEEK 
MY FORTUNE, a phrase which, by the bye, has ruined more
adventurers of both sexes, from the country, than ever it
made or advanced.

     Nor did Esther Davis a little comfort and inspirit me
to venture with her, by piquing my childish curiosity with
the fine sights that were to be seen in London: the Tombs,
the Lions, the King, the Royal Family, the fine Plays and
Operas, and, in short, all the diversions which fell within
her sphere of life to come at; the detail of all which per-
fectly turn'd the little head of me.

     Nor can I remember, without laughing, the innocent ad-
miration, not without a spice of envy, with which we poor
girls, whose church-going clothes did not rise above dowlass
shifts and stuff gowns, beheld Esther's scowered satin gowns, 
caps border'd with an inch of lace, taudry ribbons, and shoes
belaced with silver: all which we imagined grew in London,
and entered for a great deal into my determination of trying
to come in for my share of them.

     The idea however of having the company of a townswoman
with her, was the trivial, and all the motives that engaged 
Esther to take charge of me during my journey to town, where
she told me, after her manner and style, "as how several 
maids out of the country had made themselves and all their
kin for ever: that by preserving their VIRTUE, some had taken
so with their masters, that they had married them, and kept
them coaches, and lived vastly grand and happy; and some,
may-hap, came to be Duchesses; luck was all, and why not I,
as well as another?"; with other almanacs to this purpose,
which set me a tip-toe to begin this promising journey, and
to leave a place which, though my native one, contained no
relations that I had reason to regret, and was grown insup-
portable to me, from the change of the tenderest usage into
a cold air of charity, with which I was entertain'd even at
the only friend's house that I had the least expectation of
care and protection from.  She was, however, so just to me,
as to manage the turning into money of the little matters
that remained to me after the debts and burial charges were
accounted for, and, at my departure, put my whole fortune 
into my hands; which consisted of a very slender wardrobe,
pack'd up in a very portable box, and eight guineas, with
seventeen shillings in silver; stowed up in a spring-pouch,
which was a greater treasure than ever I had yet seen to-
gether, and which I could not conceive there was a possi-
bility of running out; and indeed, I was so entirely taken
up with the joy of seeing myself mistress of such an im-
mense sum, that I gave very little attention to a world of
good advice which was given me with it.

     Places, then, being taken for Esther and me in the
London waggon, I pass over a very immaterial scene of 
leavetaking, at which I dropt a few tears betwixt grief and
joy; and, for the same reasons of insignificance, skip over
all that happened to me on the road, such as the waggoner's
looking liquorish on me, the schemes laid for me by some of
the passengers, which were defeated by the vigilance of my
guardian Esther; who, to do her justice, took a motherly 
care of me, at the same time that she taxed me for her pro-
tection by making me bear all travelling charges, which I
defrayed with the utmost cheerfulness, and thought myself
much obliged to her into the bargain.

     She took indeed great care that we were not over-rated,
or imposed on, as well as of managing as frugally as possible;
expensiveness was not her vice.

     It was pretty late in a summer evening when we reached 
London-town, in our slow conveyance, though drawn by six at
length.  As we passed through the greatest streets that led
to our inn, the noise of the coaches, the hurry, the crowds
of foot passengers, in short, the new scenery of the shops 
and houses, at once pleased and amazed me.

     But guess at my mortification and surprize when we 
came to the inn, and our things were landed and deliver'd
to us, when my fellow traveller and protectress, Esther
Davis, who had used me with the utmost tenderness during
the journey, and prepared me by no preceding signs for the
stunning blow I was to receive, when I say, my only depend-
ence and friend, in this strange place, all of a sudden 
assumed a strange and cool air towards me, as if she dreaded
my becoming a burden to her.