Page:Life and prophecies of Mr Alex. Peden (1).pdf/24

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and with many professions of charitable dispositions, and thanks for the happiness she had derived from attending his discourses, she put the money into his hand, and took her leave. Mr Whitfield, in the mean time, putting the money into his pocket without looking at it, made proper acknowledgments to her, and waited on her to the door,

He was no sooner, however, alone, than he took it out to examine the contents, and finding it only copper— and eomparing the sum with the appearance of the person who gave it, he instantly imagined it must have been given with intention to affront him; and with this prepossession on his mind, he hastily opened the door, and called the ladybaek, who had not as yet got to the bottom of the stairs. This summons she instantly obeyed. On her return, Mr Whitfield, assuming a grave tone and stern manner, told her, that he did not expeet she could have presumed to offer to affront him: and, holding out the halfpence, asked her what she could mean by offering such a paltry compliment as that? The paper, and recollecting that she had often heard him ealled a cheat and impostor, immediately suspected that he himself had put the halfpence in place of the gold, and made use of that pretext to extort more from her, fell upon him bloodily, telling him she had often heard him ealled a swindler and a rascal, but until now she had never believed it. She was eertain she had given him ten red guineas out of her hands, and now he pretended he had got only as many halfpence; nor did she lcave him until she had given him a very full eomplement of abuse. She then went home in a great hurry; and had a much better opinion of her husband’s diseernment and sagacity ever afterwards. He kept the secret; and until her dying day, she made a good wife to him; nor ever went after field-preachers of any sort.

FINIS