erdess, Emily in that of a shepherd: I saw them in their dresses
before they went, and nothing in nature could represent a prettier
boy than this last did, being so fair and well limbed. They had kept
together for some time, when Louisa, meeting an old acquaintance of
hers, very cordially gives her companion the slip, and leaves her
under the protection of her boy's habit, which was not much, and of
her discretion, which was, it seems, still less. Emily, finding herself
deserted, sauntered thoughtless about a while, and, as much for coolness
and air as any thing else, at length pulled off her mask and went to the
sideboard; where, eyed and marked out by a gentleman in a very handsome
domino, she was accosted by, and fell into chat with him. The domino,
after a little discourse, in which Emily doubtless distinguished her
good nature and easiness more than her wit, began to make violent love
to her, and drawing her insensibly to some benches at the lower end of
the masquerade room, got her to sit by him, where he squeezed her hands,
pinched her cheeks, praised and played with her fine hair, admired
her complexion, and all in a style of courtship dashed with a certain
oddity, that not comprehending the mystery of, poor Emily attributed to
his falling in with the humour of her disguise; and being naturally not
the cruellest of her profession, began to incline to a parley on those
essentials. But here was the stress of the joke: he took her really
for what she appeared to be, a smock-faced boy; and she, forgetting her
dress, and of course ranging quite wide of his ideas, took all those
address to be paid to herself as a woman, which she precisely owed to
his not thinking her one. However, this double error was pushed to
such a height on both sides, that Emily, who saw nothing in him but a
gentleman of distinction by those points of dress to which his disguise
did not extend, warmed too by the wine he had plyed her with, and the
caresses he had lavished upon her, suffered herself to be persuaded to
go to a bagnio with him; and thus, losing sight of Mrs. Cole's cautions,
with a blind confidence, put herself into his hands, to be carried
wherever he pleased. For his part, equally blinded by his wishes, whilst
here gregious simplicity favoured his deception more than the most
exquisite art could have done, he supposed, no doubt, that he had
lighted on some soft simpleton, fit for his; purpose, or some kept
minion broken to his han