He was, however, so regardful as not to attempt the re-
newal of those extremities which had thrown me, just before,
into such violent agitations; but, now secure of possession,
contented himself with bringing me to temper by degrees, and
waiting at the hand of time for those fruits of generosity
and courtship which he since often reproach'd himself with
having gather'd much too green, when, yielding to the invi-
tations of my inability to resist him, and overborne by
desires, he had wreak'd his passion on a mere lifeless,
spiritless body dead to all purposes of joy, since, taking
none, it ought to be suppos'd incapable of giving any. This
is, however, certain; my heart never thoroughly forgave him
the manner in which I had fallen to him, although, in point
of interest, I had reason to be pleas'd that he found, in my
person, wherewithal to keep him from leaving me as easily as
he had gained me.
The evening was, in the mean time, so far advanc'd, that
the maid came in to lay the cloth for supper, when I under-
stood, with joy, that my landlady, whose sight was present
poison to me, was not to be with us.
Presently a neat and elegant supper was introduc'd, and
a bottle of Burgundy, with the other necessaries, were set on
a dumb-waiter.
The maid quitting the room, the gentleman insisted, with
a tender warmth, that I should sit up in the elbow chair by
the fire, and see him eat if I could not be prevailed on to
eat myself.
Pages:
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108