Or, trust me, else they will restore
The baby’s petticoats once more,
And on the back-string tie.
The next morning was as fine as the preceding one; and William and his sister rose in high spirits with the idea of spending the day together.
When the family assembled to breakfast, Mr. Graves proposed to take them to dine with a friend of his at Windsor, but without excepting little Bob, who begged to be of the party. After a very pleasant ride they arrived at Mr. Rich’s, who received them with great affability and politeness. They found there several play-fellows, as Mr. Rich had a son and daughter; and there were two young ladies and a young gentleman, who had been likewise invited to dine with them. The name of the eldest was Miss Lofty: the other Miss Snap; and the boy was called Master Tradewell.
As it was early when they arrived, Mr. Sedley, Mrs. Rich, and the young folk, took a walk to see the castle, with which they were all highly entertained. On their return they met with a pretty girl, who was running along with a basket of apples, and who stumbling over a loose stone in her way, fell down with great violence on the pavement. William and his sister immediately hastened to her assistance, and very tenderly enquired whether she was hurt; at the same time assisted her to gather up the fruit, which she seemed much concerned about, as the pippins had rolled to a great distance. “How far were you going, Fanny,” said Mrs. Rich. “Don’t be frightened, my child; your apples are not the worse, and your mother will not be angry.” “They were for you, Ma’am,” replied she, curtesying and weeping, “and I was charged to make haste; but I am sure I could not help falling.” “To be sure you could not,” returned the lady; “and as you are a good girl, you may stay and dine at our house if you please.” Fanny thanked her, and promised to ask her mother’s leave so to do. Mrs. Rich then informed her company, that the child they had seen was daughter to a servant of theirs, who had married a gardener, and whose good behaviour recommended her so much, that she frequently came to play with her children.
In the afternoon the young party retired to amuse themselves in the garden; and Miss Rich asked them if it would be agreeable for Fanny Mopwell to be with them? William said, “by all means;” and Nancy was quite pleased with the proposal: but Miss Lofty bridled up her head, and said, “she had never been used to play with such creatures:” and Master Tradewell said, “he thought they were better without her; for a merchant’s son was rather above a girl of that sort.”
Tom Rich, who had loved Fanny from her infancy, and whose mother had been his nurse, was not a little offended at the scorn which they expressed for his favorite, and very angrily told Miss Lofty, “that if she was poor, she was good-natured, and would not refuse to oblige any body.” William also joined heartily in her favour; for he was of such a gentle disposition, that he always wished to promote the happiness of every one he saw; and Nancy seconded him with great ardor. Upon this mighty question, a warm debate ensued. Miss Snap said, “she did not care for the girl, but she had no patience to have her play so interrupted.” Charlotte Rich, who was a school-fellow of Miss Lofty’s, began to be ashamed of having asked her to take notice of such an humble companion; and though she was in her heart very fond of little Fanny, yet she felt her pride hurt at having shewn her such a degree of regard. So forcibly does a bad example often operate upon a mind which would be otherwise not ungenerous.
During the dispute, the innocent cause of it happened to pass by; and Fanny, with a modest curtesy, asked Miss Rich how she did? To which question the foolish girl, for the reason above-mentioned, would not condescend to give her an answer. As she was a child of great sensibility, she was a little distressed by the contempt which Charlotte affected. She knew too well the duties of her station to offer to put herself upon an equality with the other young ladies; but as she was always accustomed to be treated by Miss Rich with the freedom of an equal, she felt her contempt as a hardship to which she had not been used. She hung down her head, and was walking silently away, when Tom took hold of her gown, and enquired whither she was going? desiring her to stay with him and his friend William, adding, “that Miss Sedley and Bob should be of their party; and they would leave the proud boarding-school ladies, since that was their title, to keep company with the merchant’s son.”
Miss Lofty, who was daughter of a nobleman, replied, “that a merchant’s son was no better than a tradesman; and she was not over fond of your city gentry.” This speech equally offended Master Tradewell and Miss Snap; who, rouzed at the indignity offered to her rank, declared, “she always heard, that a gentleman of fortune was as good as a Lord; and her father, who was an Alderman, was known, though a grocer, to be worth thousands and thousands of pounds, and therefore she did not understand such treatment.” In short, the disagreement ran so high, that Miss Snap could not be persuaded to play at all; and when the rest of the disputants had agreed to make up matters, she would accept of no proposal, nor join in any diversion which they offered to her choice. During the latter part of the engagement, Master Sedleys, with their sister and Tom, had accompanied Fanny to an arbour at some distance, where they quietly sat down to play. Her good-nature inclined her always to give way to her companions; and she had been taught to do whatever her superiors desired (if it was not wrong) so that they found her a most agreeable and entertaining girl, and rejoiced that they had admitted her to be of their party. Among the rest of their amusements, it was proposed that they should each tell a story for the entertainment of the rest; and as none of the others could immediately recollect one, Fanny was desired to begin, which she very readily did in the following manner, out of a little book which she had in her pocket.