- Here She Went In, And Finding The Place Convenient
For Her Present Circumstances, Hired A Small, But Neat Chamber, Telling
The people of the house that she was come to town in order to get a
service, and till she
Heard of one to her liking, would be glad to do
any needle-work she should be employed in.
The landlady, who happened to be a good motherly sort of woman, replied,
that she was pleased with her countenance, or she would not have
taken her in without enquiring into her character; and as she seemed not
to be desirous of an idle life, she would recommend her to those that
should find her work if she stayed with her never so long.
This was joyful news to our fair fugitive; and she blessed heaven for so
favourable a beginning of her adventures. The woman was punctual to her
promise; and being acquainted with a very great milliner, soon brought
her more work than she could do, without encroaching into those hours
nature requires for repose: but she seemed not to regret any fatigue to
oblige the person who employed her, and sent home all she did so neat,
so curious, and well wrought, that the milliner easily saw she had not
been accustomed to do it for bread, and was very desirous of having her
into the house, and securing her to herself. Louisa thinking it would be
living with less care, agreed to go, on this condition, that she should
be free to quit her in case any offer happened of waiting upon a lady.
This was consented to by the other, who told her, that since she had
that design, she could no where be so likely to succeed as at her house,
which was very much frequented by the greatest ladies in the kingdom,
she having the most Curiosities of any woman of her trade, which they
came there to raffle for.
On this Louisa took leave of her kind landlady, who having taken a great
fancy to her, and believing it would be for her advantage, was not sorry
to part with her. A quite new scene of life now presented itself to
her: - she found indeed the milliner had not made a vain boast; for her
house was a kind of rendezvous, where all the young and gay of both
sexes daily resorted. - It was here the marquis of W - - r lost his heart,
for a time, to the fine mrs. S - - ge: - here, that the duke of G - - n
first declared his amorous inclinations for mrs. C - - r: - here, that the
seemingly virtuous lady B - - n received the addresses of that agreeable
rover mr. D - - n: - here, that the beautiful dutchess of M - - gave that
encouragement, which all the world had sighed for, to the more fortunate
than constant mr. C - - : in fine, it might properly enough be called the
theatre of gallantry, where love and wit joined to display their several
talents either in real or pretended passions.
Louisa usually sat at work in a back parlor behind that where the
company were; but into which some of them often retired to talk to each
other with more freedom.
This gave her an opportunity of seeing in what manner too many of the
great world passed their time, and how small regard some of them pay to
the marriage vow: everyday presented her with examples of husbands, who
behaved with no more than a cold civility to their own wives, and
carried the fervor of their addresses to those of other men; and of
wives who seemed rather to glory in, than be ashamed of a train of
admirers. How senseless would these people think me, said she to
herself, did they know I chose rather to work for my bread in mean
obscurity, than yield to marry where I could not love. - Tenderness,
mutual affection, and constancy. I find, are things not thought
requisite to the happiness of a wedded state; and interest and
convenience alone consulted. Yet was she far from repenting having
rejected Dorilaus, or being in the lead influenced by the example of
others. - The adventures she was witness of made her, indeed, more
knowing of the world, but were far from corrupting those excellent
morals she had received from nature, and had been so well improved by a
strict education, that she not only loved virtue for its own sake, but
despised and hated vice, tho' disguised under the most specious
pretences.
Her youth, beauty, and a certain sprightliness in her air, was too
engaging to be in the house of such a woman as mrs. C - - ge, (for so
this court-milliner was called) without being very much taken notice of;
and tho' most of the gentlemen who came there had some particular object
in view, yet that did not hinder them from saying soft things to the
pretty Louisa as often as they had opportunity. Among the number of
those who pretended to admire her was mr. B - - n, afterwards lord F - - h;
but his addresses were so far from making any impression on her in
favour of his person or suit, that the one was wholly indifferent to
her, and the other so distasteful, that to avoid being persecuted with
it, she entreated mrs. C - - ge to permit her to work above stairs, that
she might be out of the way of all such solicitations for the future,
either from him or any other. This request was easily complied with, and
the rather because she, who knew not the strength of her journey-woman's
resolution, nor the principles she had been bred in, was sometimes in
fear of losing so great a help to her business, by the temptations that
might be offered in a place so much exposed to sight. Mr. B - - n no
sooner missed her, than he enquired with a good deal of earnestness for
her; and on mrs. C - - ge's telling him she was gone away from her house,
became so impatient to know where, and on what account she had left her,
that this woman thinking it would be of advantage to her to own the
truth, (for she did nothing without that view) turned off the imposition
with a smile, and said, that perceiving the inclinations he had for her,
she had sent her upstairs that no other addresses might be a hindrance
to his designs.
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