The duchess has been good enough to charge herself with the cost of her keeping--her schooling and the rest." "Oh, that alters the case.

If she is a protegee of her grace I need not say more.

Her future is provided for." "Why, yes," but Gay spoke in anything but a confident tone.

Inwardly he was troubled at what view Mat Prior's "Kitty" might take of Polly's escapade.

The Duchess might be as wayward as she pleased, but it did not follow that she would excuse waywardness in another woman.
Gay turned to Pepusch and the two conversed for some little time, the upshot of the talk being that Pepusch promised, when the proper time came, to say to John Rich all he could in favour of Lavinia, always supposing she had acquired sufficient stage experience.
This settled, the poet drew near Lavinia who all this time was waiting and wondering what this new adventure of hers would end in.
"Now Polly, my dear," said Gay, "if you behave yourself and don't have any more love affairs----" "But did I not tell you, sir, I'd had none," interrupted Lavinia.
"Yes--yes, I remember quite well.