over; and, besides, she did not find this Dutch skipper till she had spent four or five months and been again in Paris, and then come back to Rouen for farther information. But, in the meantime, she wrote to me from Paris that he was not to be found by any means; that he had been gone from Paris seven or eight years; that she was told he had lived at Rouen, and she was agoing thither to inquire, but that she had heard afterwards that he was gone also from thence to Holland, so she did not go.
This, I say, was Amy's first account; and I, not satisfied with it, had sent her an order to go to Rouen to inquire there also, as above.
While this was negotiating, and I received these accounts from Amy at several times, a strange adventure happened to me which I must mention just here. I had been abroad, to take the air as usual with my Quaker, as far as Epping Forest, and we were driving back towards London, when, on the road between Bow and Mile End, two gentlemen on horseback came riding by, having overtaken the coach and passed it, and went forwards towards London.
They did not ride apace, though they passed the coach, for we went very softly; nor did they look into the coach at all, but rode side by side, earnestly talking to one another and inclining their faces sideways a little towards one another, he that went nearest the coach with his face from it, and he that was farthest from the coach with his face towards it, and passing in the very next tract to the coach, I could hear them talk Dutch very distinctly. But it is impossible to describe the confusion I was in, when I plainly saw that the farthest of the two, him whose face looked towards the coach, was my friend the Dutch merchant of Paris.
If it had been possible to conceal my disorder from my friend the Quaker, I would have done it, but I found she was too well acquainted with such things not to take the hint. 'Dost thou understand Dutch?' said she. 'Why?' said I. 'Why', says she, 'it is easy to suppose that thou art a little concerned at somewhat those men say; I suppose they are talking of thee.' 'Indeed, my good friend', said I, 'thou art mistaken this time, for I know very well what they are talking of, but 'tis all about ships and trading affairs.' 'Well', says she, 'then one of them is a man friend of thine, or somewhat is the case; for though thy tongue will not confess it, thy face does.'
I was going to have told a bold lie, and said I knew nothing of them; but I found it was impossible to conceal it, so I said, 'Indeed, I think I know the farthest of them; but I have neither spoken to him, or so much as seen him for about eleven years.' 'Well, then', says she, 'thou hast seen him with more than common eyes when thou didst see him, or else seeing him now would not be such a surprise to thee.' 'Indeed', said I, 'it is true I am a little surprised at seeing him just now, for I thought he had been in quite another part of the world; and I can assure you I never saw him in England in my life.' 'Well, then, it is the more likely he is come over now on purpose to seek thee.' 'No, no' said I; 'knight-errantry is over; women are not so hard to come at that men should not be able to please themselves without running from one kingdom to another.' 'Well, well', says she, 'I would have him see thee for all that, as plainly as thou hast seen him.' 'No, but he shan't' says I; 'for I am sure he don't know me in this dress, and I'll take care he shan't see my face, if I can help it'; so I held up my fan before my face, and she saw me resolute in that, so she pressed me no farther.
