"- "Oh Heaven,
ma'am! doth your la'ship know what you are saying?" cries Honour;
"would you think of walking about the country by night and
alone?"- "Not alone," answered the lady; "you have promised to bear
me company."- "Yes, to be sure," cries Honour, "I will follow your
la'ship through the world; but your la'ship had almost as good be
alone: for I should not be able to defend you, if any robbers, or
other villains, should meet with you, Nay, I should be in as
horrible a fright as your la'ship; for to be certain, they would
ravish us both. Besides, ma'am, consider how cold the nights are
now; we shall be frozen to death."- "A good brisk pace," answered
Sophia, "will preserve us from the cold; and if you cannot defend me
from a villain, Honour, I will defend you; for I will take a pistol
with me. There are two always charged in the hall."- "Dear ma'am, you
frighten me more and more," cries Honour: "sure your la'ship would not
venture to fire it off! I had rather run any chance than your
la'ship should do that."- "Why so?" says Sophia, smiling, "would not
you, Honour, fire a pistol at any one who should attack your
virtue?"- "To be sure, ma'am," cries Honour, "one's virtue is a dear
thing, especially to us poor servants; for it is our livelihood, as
a body may say: yet I mortally hate fire-arms; for so many accidents
happen by them."- "Well, well," says Sophia, "I believe I may ensure
your virtue at a very cheap rate, without carrying any arms with us;
for I intend to take horses at the very first town we come to, and
we shall hardly be attacked in our way thither.
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