This she related to Mrs. Cole and me the same morning,
not without the visible remains of the fear and confusion she
had been in still stamp'd on her countenance. Mrs. Cole's
remark was that her indescretion proceeding from a constitu-
tional facility, there were little hopes of any thing curing
her of it, but repeated severe experience. Mine was that I
could not conceive how it was possible for mankind to run
into a taste, not only universally odious, but absurd, and
impossible to gratify; since, according to the notions and
experience I had of things, it was not in nature to force
such immense disproportions. Mrs. Cole only smil'd at my
ignorance, and said nothing towards my undeception, which was
not affected but by ocular demonstration, some months after,
which a most singular accident furnish'd me, and which I will
here set down, that I may not return again to so disagreeable
a subject.
I had, on a visit intended to Harriet, who had taken
lodgings at Hampton-court, hired a chariot to go out thither,
Mrs. Cole having promis'd to accompany me; but some indis-
pensable business intervening to detain her, I was obliged to
set out alone; and scarce had I got a third of my way, before
the axle-tree broke down, and I was well off to get out, safe
and unhurt, into a publick-house of a tolerable handsome ap-
pearance, on the road.
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