--, of Kent, to whom he then
made love upon honourable terms; but I was fool enough to refuse his
proposal, by the advice of S--. And whether or not his lordship, finding
it impracticable to wed his new mistress, began to make love upon
another footing, I know not; but, certain it is, the mother forbade
him the house, a circumstance which he took so heinously ill, that
he appealed to the world in a public advertisement, beginning with
'Whereas, for some time, I have passionately loved Miss W--, and, upon
my not complying with the mother's proposals, they have turned me out of
doors, this is to justify,' etc.

"This declaration, signed with his name, was actually printed in a
number of detached advertisements, which he ordered to be distributed to
the public; and afterwards, being convinced by some of his friends
that he had done a very silly thing, he recalled them at half a guinea
apiece. A copy of one of them was sent to me at Paris, and I believe my
father has now one of the originals in his possession. After this wise
vindication of his conduct, he made an attempt to carry off the lady
from church by force of arms; but she was rescued by the neighbours,
headed by her brother, who, being an attorney, had like to have made his
lordship smart severely for this exploit.

"Meanwhile my new admirer had made some progress in my heart; and, my
finances being exhausted, I was reduced to the alternative of returning
to Lord -- again, or accepting Earl B--'s love. When my affairs were
brought to an issue, I made no hesitation in my choice, putting myself
under the protection of a man of honour whom I esteemed, rather than
suffer every sort of mortification from a person who was the object of
my abhorrence and contempt. From a mistaken pride, I chose to live in
Lord B--'s house, rather than be maintained at his expense in another
place. We spent several months agreeably in balls and other diversions,
visited Lord B--, who lived at the distance of a few leagues from Paris,
and stayed some days at his house, where the entertainment was, in all
respects, delightful, elegant, and refined. Their habitation was the
rendezvous of the best company in France; and Lady B-- maintained
the same superiority in her own sex, for which her lord is so justly
distinguished among the men.

"About Christmas we set out for England, accompanied by a little North
Briton, who lived with Lord B-- as his companion, and did not at all
approve of our c