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MADAM,' fays Lydia, you have been long a Stranger to Repofe, it is Sleep only which affects you; the then led her to her Bed and gently laid her down, when Mrs. Fairchild, faid, my Child, let me embrace thee, I am prepared for Sleep or • Death, this may be my laft Embrace, my last Adieu.' Oh, Heavens, faid Lydia,' weeping.

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Few Minutes paft before she was fallen into a sweet Slumber; Lydia now in the utmost Despair, without one Shilling to give them Bread, threatened to be expofed to the Streets the next Day, without having a Friend to fly to, her Reputation gone, felt an Agony of Grief beyond all power of painting; the knew not where to turn; God of my Salvation,' fhe cried, can it be criminal to end this Life of Wretchedness; it 'cannot be-To-morrow expofed to Infamy-will it be criminal to fave myfelf from public Contempt ?'It will not fure.

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SHE then ftept foftly and liftened to her Mother; when not hearing her breathe, the believed her expiring; happy, happy wilt thou be, and all thy Afflictions end at laft,' fhe faid.

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SHE then kneeled by the Bed-fide, and with uplifted Hands and Eyes, implored that Heaven would receive the Soul of her dear Mother, into the Manfions of eternal Blifs.

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AND, oh, my God,' fhe cried, look on this ' wretched Being with an Eye of Mercy, receive me to thy Favour, tho' thefe rafh Hands fhall terminate the Life you gave me; forgive the Being which thus yields to her Calamities:' She then preft her Lips close to her Parent's chilly Cheek, and as fhe did not wake with this Action, Lydia concluded fhe was then expiring; yet, if the lives,' fays fhe, ftarting,

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fhall I behold the afking Countenance of a Mother without Bread to allay her Hunger?' This Thought made fuch an Impreffion on her Soul, that he was determined to go into the Park and finish her Days, by throwing herself into the Canal; fhe could bear its Poignancy no longer; fhe therefore again took a parting Kifs, and weeping like Rain, pronounced, God

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'be

be with you,' when the ftole filently down Stairs, to put an End to her miferable Existence.

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SHE then walked half diftracted towards St. James's Park, concluding her Mother would be beyond the Reach of Pain, before the arrived at the Place; fhall I be condemned,' fhe cried, for thus leaving my departing Parent before her Life is quite extinguifhed: Alas! fhe is already beyond all Senfe of filial Duty; whilft my Hands could minister to her Ease I never quitted that Office, now to fly that Scene of Mifery which is preparing for me, Heaven I am fure will pardon.'

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THIS the foftly pronounced as the paft along.

SHE was now entered the Gate in Spring Gardens, the Evening was juft clofing in; at the Sight of the Water fhe trembled a little, her Limbs faultered, the therefore repofed herself on one of the Benches, ftill refolving to finish that Woe, from which fhe faw no Power of extricating herself.

IF I return,' fays fhe, what is the most favour-able Object which can be afforded to my Eyes? a Parent dead, and I unable to give her the laft Duties of Interment; if living, to behold her gradually expiring by Want and Hunger; dreadful Thought!' the pronounced, fhivering at the Expreffion, my • Death faves me from both these Tortures, there remains no other Way; this the imagined to herfelf as the fat on the Bench in the Walk, this was her Refolution.

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We had forgot to mention, that, before the left the Chamber, the wrote the following Lines, and left them on the Table.

WHO

THOEVER fhall read thefe Lines, and firft difcover my departed Parent, I implore them not rafhly to condemn that Daughter who deferted ber, without paying the last filial Office to her Afbes.

Know then, after many Attacks on my Virtue, my Reputation loft, tho' my Soul is unftained, I laboured to give Bread to Age and Weakness, nor ever quitted her one Minute, till Life was no more.

Deprived

Deprived of wherewithal to execute this laft Duty, my Soul (Heaven look down with Mercy upon this Action) poffeffed not Firmness fufficient to attend that awful

Moment.

The Child therefore has refolved to end her miferable Days, and follow that Parent to that Place, where Repofe is only to be found for her and the Wretched.

LYDIA FAIRCHILD.

End of the Second Volume.

A CATALOGUE of BOOKS, Publithed by SARAH COTTER, under Dick's CoffeeHoufe, in Skinner-Row.

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