However, as if
he had meant to retrieve that escape, he still continu'd to
toy with and fondle her, but with so staring an alteration
from extreme warmth into a chill and forced civility, that
even Emily herself could not but take notice of it, and now
began to wish she had paid more regard to Mrs. Cole's premon-
itions against ever engaging with a stranger. And now and
excess of timidity succeeded to an excess of confidence, and
she thought herself so much at his mercy and discretion, that
she stood passive throughout the whole progress of his pre-
lude: for now, whether the impressions of so great a beauty
had even made him forgive her her sex, or whether her appear-
ance of figure in that dress still humour'd his first illu-
sion, he recover'd by degrees a good part of his first warmth,
and keeping Emily with her breeches still unbuttoned, stript
them down to her knees, and gently impelling her to lean down,
with her face against the bed-side, placed her so, that the
double way, between the double rising behind, presented the
choice fair to him, and he was so fairly set on a mis-direc-
tion, as to give the girl no small alarms for fear of losing
a maidenhead she had not dreamt of. However, her complaints,
and a resistance, gentle, but firm, check'd and brought him
to himself again; so that turning his steed's head, he drove
him at length in the right road, in which his imagination
having probably made the most of those resemblances that
flatter'd his taste, he got, with much ado, to his journey's
end: after which, he led her out himself, and walking with
her two or three streets' length, got her a chair, when mak-
ing her a present not any thing inferior to what she could
have expected, he left her, well recommended to the chairman,
who, on her directions, brought her home.
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