Mr. Martin came up to me on the other side of the chariot, and leaned on
the very door, while my master was talking to Sir Thomas, from whom he
could not get away; and said, By all that's good, you have charmed the
whole congregation! Not a soul but is full of your praises! My neighbour
knew, better than any body could tell him, how to choose for himself.
Why, said he, the dean himself looked more upon you than his book.
O sir, said I, you are very encouraging to a weak mind! I vow, said
he, I say no more than is truth: I'd marry to-morrow, if I was sure
of meeting with a person of but one-half the merit you have. You are,
continued he, and 'tis not my way to praise too much, an ornament to
your sex, an honour to your spouse, and a credit to religion.--Every
body is saying so, added he; for you have, by your piety, edified the
whole church. As he had done speaking, the dean himself complimented me, that
the behaviour of so worthy a lady, would be very edifying to his
congregation, and encouraging to himself. Sir, said I, you are very
kind: I hope I shall not behave unworthy of the good instructions I
shall have the pleasure to receive from so worthy a divine. He bowed,
and went on.
Sir Thomas then applied to me, my master stepping into the chariot, and
said, I beg pardon, madam, for detaining your good spouse from you: but
I have been saying, he is the happiest man in the world. I bowed to him,
but I could have wished him further, to make me sit so in the notice of
every one; which, for all I could do, dashed me not a little. Mr. Martin
said to my master, If you'll come to church every Sunday with your
charming lady, I will never absent myself, and she'll give a good
example to all the neighbourhood. O, my dear sir! said I to my master,
you know not how much I am obliged to good Mr. Martin! He has, by his
kind expressions, made me dare to look up with pleasure and gratitude.
Said my master, My dear love, I am very much obliged, as well as you, to
my good friend Mr. Martin. And he said to him, We will constantly go
to church, and to every other place, where we can have the pleasure of
seeing Mr. Martin. Mr. Martin said, Gad, sir, you are a happy man; and I think your lady's
example has made you more polite and handsome too, than I ever knew you
before, though we never thought you unpolite, neither. And so he bowed,
and went to his own chariot; and, as we drove away, the people kindly
blessed us, and called us a charming pair.