I had no objection to the
proposal, and was rather a tip-toe for its accomplishments.

At five in the evening next day, Phoebe, punctual to her promise, came
to me as I sat alone in my own room, and beckoned me to follow her.

We went down the back stairs very softly, and opening the door of a
dark closet, where there was some old furniture kept, and some cases of
liquor, she drew me in after her, and fastened the door upon us, we had
no light but what came through a long crevice in the partition between
ours and the light closet, where the scene of action lay; so that
sitting on those low cases, we could, with the greatest ease, as well as
clearness, see all objects (ourselves unseen), only by applying our
eyes close to the crevice, where the moulding of a panel had warped, or
started a little on the other side.

The young gentleman was the first person I saw, with his back directly
towards me, looking at a print. Polly was not yet come: in less than a
minute though, the door opened, and she came in; and at the noise the
door made he turned about, and come to meet her, with an air of the
greatest tenderness and satisfaction.

After saluting her, he led her to a coach that fronted us, where they
both sat down, and the young Genoes helped her to a glass of wine, with
some Naples biscuits on a salver.

Presently, when they had exchanged a few kisses, and questions in broken
English on one side, he began to unbutton, and, in fine, stript unto his
shirt.

As if this had been the signal agreed on for pulling off all their
clothes, a scheme which the heat of the season perfectly favoured, Polly
began to draw her pins, and as she had no stays to unlace, she was in a
trice, with her gallant's officious assistance, undressed to all but her
shift.

When he saw this, his breeches were immediately loosened, waist and
knee bands, and slipped over his ankles, clean off; his shirt collar was
unbottoned too: then, first giving Polly an encouraging kiss, he stole,
as it were, the shift off the girl, who being, I suppose, broke and
familiarized to this humour, blushed indeed, but less than I did at the
apparition of her, now standing stark naked, just as she came ont of
the hands of pure nature, with her black hair loose and a-float down her
dazzling white neck and shoulders, whilst the deepened carnation of her
cheeks went off gradually into the hue of glazed snow: for such were the
blended tints polish of her skin.

This gir