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She was a full fortnight in her paſſage, during which time, no adventure occurred worthy remembrance. At length ſhe landed at Dartmouth, where ſhe ſoon provided herſelf with linnen, and thence went to Totneſs, where ſhe aſſumed the title of a doctor of phyſic, and took lodgings in the houſe of one Mrs. Baytree.
Here ſhe ſoon became acquainted with a young girl, the daughter of one Mr. Ivythorn, who had the green ſickneſs; a diſtemper which the doctor gave out he could cure by an infallible noſtrum.
The doctor had not been long intruſted with the care of this young patient before he began to make love to her: for though her complexion was ſomewhat faded with her diſtemper, ſhe was otherwiſe extreamly pretty.
This Girl became an eaſy conqueſt to the doctor, and the day of their marriage was appointed, without the knowledge, or even ſuſpicion of her father, or of an old aunt who was very fond of her, and would neither of them have eaſily given their conſent to the match, had the doctor been as good a Man as the niece thought him.
At the day appointed, the doctor and his miſtreſs found means to eſcape very early in the morning from Totneſs, and went to a town called Aſhburton in Devonſhire, where they were married by a regular Licence which the doctor had previouſly obtained.
Here they ſtaid two days at a public houſe, during which time the Doctor ſo well acted his part, that his bride had not the leaſt ſuſpicion of the legality of her marriage, or that ſhe had not got a huſband for life. The third day they returned to Totneſs, where they both threw themſelves at Mr. Ivythorn’s feet, who was highly rejoic’d at finding his daughter reſtor’d to him, and that ſhe was not debauched, as he had ſuſpected of her. And being
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