that of her father, who
saw his daughter's happiness depended on having me with her, I
continued there three years, blest in the calm delights of friendship,
and those blameless pleasures, with which we should be too happy, if
the heart could content itself, when a young baronet, whose form was
as lovely as his soul was dark, came to interrupt our felicity.

"My Sophia, at a ball, had the misfortune to attract his notice; she
was rather handsome, though without regular features; her form was
elegant and feminine, and she had an air of youth, of softness, of
sensibility, of blushing innocence, which seemed intended to inspire
delicate passions alone, and which would have disarmed any mind less
depraved than that of the man, who only admired to destroy.

"She was the rose-bud yet impervious to the sun.

"Her heart was tender, but had never met an object which seemed
worthy of it; her sentiments were disinterested, and romantic to
excess.

"Her father was, at that time, in Holland, whither the death of a
relation, who had left him a small estate, had called him: we were
alone, unprotected, delivered up to the unhappy inexperience of youth,
mistresses of our own conduct; myself, the eldest of the two, but just
eighteen, when my Sophia's ill-fate conducted Sir Charles Verville to
the ball where she first saw him.

"He danced with her, and endeavored to recommend himself by all
those little unmeaning, but flattering attentions, by which our
credulous sex are so often misled; his manner was tender, yet timid,
modest, respectful; his eyes were continually fixed on her, but when he
met hers, artfully cast down, as if afraid of offending.

"He asked permission to enquire after her health the next day; he
came, he was enchanting; polite, lively, soft, insinuating, adorned
with every outward grace which could embellish virtue, or hide vice
from view, to see and to love him was almost the same thing.

"He entreated leave to continue his visits, which he found no
difficulty in obtaining: during two months, not a day passed without
our seeing him; his behaviour was such as would scarce have alarmed the
most suspicious heart; what then could be expected of us, young,
sincere, totally ignorant of the world, and strongly prejudiced in
favor of a man, whose conversation spoke his soul the abode of every
virtue?

"Blushing I must own, nothing but the apparent preference he gave to
my lovely friend, could have saved my heart from