-she found indeed the milliner had not made a vain boast; for her
house was a kind of rendezvous, where all the young and gay of both
sexes daily resorted.--It was here the marquis of W----r lost his heart,
for a time, to the fine mrs. S----ge:--here, that the duke of G----n
first declared his amorous inclinations for mrs. C----r:--here, that the
seemingly virtuous lady B----n received the addresses of that agreeable
rover mr. D----n:--here, that the beautiful dutchess of M---- gave that
encouragement, which all the world had sighed for, to the more fortunate
than constant mr. C----: in fine, it might properly enough be called the
theatre of gallantry, where love and wit joined to display their several
talents either in real or pretended passions.

Louisa usually sat at work in a back parlor behind that where the
company were; but into which some of them often retired to talk to each
other with more freedom.

This gave her an opportunity of seeing in what manner too many of the
great world passed their time, and how small regard some of them pay to
the marriage vow: everyday presented her with examples of husbands, who
behaved with no more than a cold civility to their own wives, and
carried the fervor of their addresses to those of other men; and of
wives who seemed rather to glory in, than be ashamed of a train of
admirers. How senseless would these people think me, said she to
herself, did they know I chose rather to work for my bread in mean
obscurity, than yield to marry where I could not love.--Tenderness,
mutual affection, and constancy. I find, are things not thought
requisite to the happiness of a wedded state; and interest and
convenience alone consulted. Yet was she far from repenting having
rejected Dorilaus, or being in the lead influenced by the example of
others.--The adventures she was witness of made her, indeed, more
knowing of the world, but were far from corrupting those excellent
morals she had received from nature, and had been so well improved by a
strict education, that she not only loved virtue for its own sake, but
despised and hated vice, tho' disguised under the most specious
pretences.

Her youth, beauty, and a certain sprightliness in her air, was too
engaging to be in the house of such a woman as mrs. C----ge, (for so
this court-milliner was called) without being very much taken notice of;
and tho' most of the gentlemen who came there had some particular object
in view, yet that did not