Brown judged I would be
entirely renewed in beauty and freshness by that time, and
afford her the chance of a better bargain than she had
driven with Mr. Crofts.
In the meantime, I was so thoroughly, as they call it,
brought over, so tame to their whistle, that, had my cage
door been set open, I had no idea that I ought to fly any-
where, sooner than stay where I was; nor had I the least
sense of regretting my condition, but waited very quietly
for whatever Mrs. Brown should order concerning me; who on
her side, by herself and her agents, took more than the
necessary precautions to lull and lay asleep all just re-
flections on my destination.
Preachments of morality over the left shoulder; a life
of joy painted in the gayest colours; caresses, promises,
indulgent treatment: nothing, in short, was wanting to do-
mesticate me entirely and to prevent my going out anywhere
to get better advice. Alas! I dream'd of no such thing.
Hitherto I had been indebted only to the girls of the
house for the corruption of my innocence: their luscious
talk, in which modesty was far from respected, their des-
cription of their engagements with men, had given me a
tolerable insight into the nature and mysteries of their
profession, at the same time that they highly provok'd an
itch of florid warm-spirited blood through every vein: but
above all, my bed-fellow Phoebe, whose pupil I more immedi-
ately was, exerted her talents in giving me the first
tinctures of pleasure: whilst nature, now warm'd and wan-
toned with discoveries so interesting, piqu'd a curiosity
which Phoebe artfully whetted, and leading me from question
to question of her own suggestion, explain'd to me all the
mysteries of Venus.
Pages:
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49