rections, brought her
home.

This she related to Mrs. Cole and me the same morning, not without the
visible remains of the fear and confusion she had been in, still stamped
on her countenance. Mrs. Cole's remark was, that her indiscretion
proceeding from a constitutional facility, there were little hopes of
any thing curing her of it, but repeated severe experience. Mine was,
that I could not conceive how it was possible for mankind to run into
a taste, not only universally odious, but absurd, and impossible to
gratify; since, according to the notions and experience I had of things,
it was not in nature to force such immense disproportions. Mrs. Cole
only smiled at my ignorance, and said nothing towards my undeception,
which was not affected but by ocular demonstration, some months after,
which a most singular accident furnished me, and which I will here set
down, that I may not return again to so disagreeable a subject.

I had, on a visit intended to Harriet, who had taken lodgings at
Hampton-court, hired a chariot to go out thither, Mrs. Cole having,
promised to accompany me; but some indispensable business intervening,
to detain her, I was obliged to set out alone; and scarce had I got a
third of my way, before the axle-tree broke down, and I was well off to
get out, safe and unhurt, into a public-house, of a tolerable handsome
appearance, on the road. Here the people told me that the stage would
come by in a couple of hours at farthest, upon; which, determining to
wait for it, sooner than lose the jaunt I had got so far forward on, I
was carried into a very clean decent room, up one pair of stairs, which
I took possession of for the time I had to stay, in right of calling for
sufficient to do the house justice.

Here, whilst I was amusing myself with looking out of the window, a
single horse-chaise stopt at the door, out of which lightly leaped two
young' gentlemen, for so they seemed, who came in only as it were to
bait and refresh a little, for they gave their horse to be held! in
readiness against they came out. And presently I heard the door of the
next room, where they were let in, and called about them briskly; and as
soon as they were served, I could just hear that they shut and fastened
the door on the inside.

A spirit of curiosity, far from sudden, since I do not know when I was
without it, prompted me, without any particular suspicion, or other
drift or view, to see what they were, and examine their p