"The benevolent condescension," says she, "of that amiable
and interesting young lady, to the unfortunate writer of these simple
lines will remain engraved upon a grateful memory, till the vital spark
that now animates a heart that too sensibly feels, and too seldom
experiences such kindness, is forever extinct."
In the mean time, Colonel Wildman, in occasional interviews, had
obtained further particulars of the story of the stranger, and found
that poverty was added to the other evils of her forlorn and isolated
state. Her name was Sophia Hyatt. She was the daughter of a country
bookseller, but both her parents had died several years before. At
their death, her sole dependence was upon her brother, who allowed her
a small annuity on her share of the property left by their father, and
which remained in his hands. Her brother, who was a captain of a
merchant vessel, removed with his family to America, leaving her almost
alone in the world, for she had no other relative in England but a
cousin, of whom she knew almost nothing. She received her annuity
regularly for a time, but unfortunately her brother died in the West
Indies, leaving his affairs in confusion, and his estate overhung by
several commercial claims, which threatened to swallow up the whole.
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