But
the vigour of nature, soon returning, dissipated the blast of
faintness which the common law of enjoyment had subjected him
to; and now his basket re-became his main concern, which I
look'd for, and brought him, whilst Louisa restor'd his dress
to its usual condition, and afterwards pleased him perhaps
more by taking all his flowers off his hands, and paying him,
at his rate, for them, than if she had embarrass'd him by a
present that he would have been puzzled to account for, and
might have put others on tracing the motives of.
Whether she ever return'd to the attack I know not, and,
to say the truth, I believe not. She had had her freak out,
and had pretty plentifully drown'd her curiosity in a glut of
pleasure, which, as it happened, had no other consequence
than that the lad, who retain'd only a confused memory of the
transaction, would, when he saw her, for some time after,
express a grin of joy and familiarity, after his idiot manner,
and soon forgot her in favour of the next woman, tempted, on
the report of his parts, to take him in.
Part 10
Louisa herself did not long outstay this adventure at
Mrs. Cole's (to whom, by-the-bye, we took care not to boast
of our exploit, till all fear of consequences were clearly
over): for an occasion presenting itself of proving her
passion for a young fellow, at the expense of her discretion,
proceeding all in character, she pack'd up her toilet at half
a day's warning and went with him abroad, since which I
entirely lost sight of her, and it never fell in my way to
hear what became of her.
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