d everybody's heart as
sincere as her own, and every object such as it appeared to be.

"Among the swains who sighed, or pretended to sigh for me, were two
that bore a pretty equal share of my favour (it was too superficial to
deserve the name of love). One of these was a forward youth of sixteen,
extremely handsome, lively, and impudent. He attended in quality of page
upon the Princess Amelia, who spent that season at Bath. The other was a
Scotch nobleman turned of thirty, who was graced with a red ribbon, and
danced particularly well, two qualifications of great weight with a
girl of my age, whose heart was not deeply interested in the cause.
Nevertheless, the page prevailed over this formidable rival; though our
amour went no farther than a little flirting, and ceased entirely when I
left the place.

"Next year, however, I revisited this agreeable scene, and passed my
time in the same circle of amusements; in which, indeed, each season
at Bath is exactly resembled by that which succeeds, allowing for the
difference of company, which is continually varying. There I met with
the same incense, and again had my favourite, who was a North Briton,
and captain of foot, near forty years of age, and a little lame, an
impediment which I did not discover, until it was pointed out by some
of my companions, who rallied me upon my choice. He was always
cheerful, and very amorous, had a good countenance, and an excellent
understanding, possessed a great deal of art, and would have persuaded
me to marry him, had I not been restrained by the authority of my
father, whose consent was not to be obtained in favour of a man of his
fortune.

"At the same time, many proposals of marriage were made to my parents;
but as they came from people whom I did not like, I rejected them all,
being determined to refuse every man who did not make his addresses to
myself in person, because I had no notion of marrying for anything
but love. Among these formal proposers was a Scottish earl, whose
pretensions were broke off by some difference about settlements; and
the son of an English baron, with whom my father was in treaty, when
he carried me to town, on a visit to a young lady with whom I had been
intimate from my infancy. She was just delivered of her first son, for
whom we stood sponsors; so that this occasion detained us a whole month,
during which I went to a ball at court, on the Queen's birthday, and
there, for the first time, felt what love