rry his daughter." By all means let this ingenuous,
high-spirited Templar have a fair judgment. He would not have sold
himself to just any woman. He required a _maximum_ of wealth with a
_minimum_ of personal repulsiveness. He therefore 'took a sight of the
lady' (it does not appear that he talked with her) before he committed
himself irrevocably by a proposal. The _sight_ having been taken, as he
did not dislike her (mind, he did not positively like her) he made the
old man a visit. Loving money, and believing in it, this 'old man'
wished to secure as much of it as possible for his only child; and
therefore looking keenly at the youthful admirer of a usurer's heiress,
"asked him what estate his father intended to settle upon him for
present maintenance, jointure, and provision for children." Mildly and
not unjustly Roger calls this "an inauspicious question." It was so
inauspicious that Mr. Francis North abruptly terminated the discussion
by wishing the usurer good-morning. So ended Love Affair No. 1.

Having lost his dear companion, Mr. Edward Palmer, son of the powerful
Sir Geoffry Palmer, Mr. Francis North soon regarded his friend's wife
with tender longing. It was only natural that he should desire to
mitigate his sorrow for the dead by possession of the woman who was
"left a flourishing widow, and very rich." But the lady knew her worth,
as well she might, for "never was lady more closely besieged with
wooers: she had no less than five younger sons sat down before her at
one time, and she kept them well in hand, as they say, giving no
definite answers to any of one of them." Small respect did Mistress
Edward Palmer show her late husband's most intimate friend. For weeks
she tortured the wretched, knavish fellow with coquettish tricks, and
having rendered him miserable in many ways, made him ludicrous by
jilting him. "He was held at the long saw above a month, doing his duty
as well as he might, and that was but clumsily; for he neither dressed
nor danced, when his rivals were adroit at both, and the lady used to
shuffle her favors amongst them affectedly, and on purpose to mortify
his lordship, and at the same time be as civil to him, with like purpose
to mortify them." Poor Mr. Francis! Well may his brother write
indignantly, "It was very grievous to him--that had his thoughts upon
his clients' concerns, which came in thick upon him--to be held in a
course of bo-peep play with a crafty widow." At length, "after a