ured to laugh her out of such idle notions as he
called them, and was so far from being rebuffed at any thing she said,
that he began to kiss and toy with her more freely than before, telling
her he would bring her into a better humour; but he was wholly deceived
in his expectations, if he had any of the nature he pretended, for she
became so irritated at being treated in this manner, that she called out
to the servants to come to her assistance, and protected she would not
stay an hour longer in the house if she could not be secured from such
impertinencies; on which he said she was a silly romantic fool, and
flung out of the room.

Mrs. C----ge hearing there had been some bustle, came up soon after and
found Louisa in tears: she immediately complained, of mr. B----n's
behaviour to her, and said, tho' she acknowledged herself under many
obligations to her for the favours she had conferred on her, she could
not think of remaining in a place where, tho' she could not say her
virtue had any severe trials, because she had a natural detestation to
crimes of the kind that gentleman and some others had mentioned, yet her
person was liable to be affronted. The milliner, who was surprized to
hear her talk in this manner, but who understood her trade perfectly
well, answered, that he was the best conditioned civil gentleman in the
world;--that she did not know how it happened;--that she was certain
indeed he loved her; and that it was in his power to make her a very
happy woman if she were inclined to accept his offers;--but she would
perswade her to nothing.

These kind of discourses created a kind of abhorrence in Louisa, as they
plainly shewed her, what before she had some reason to believe, that she
was in the house of one who would think nothing a crime that she found
it her own interest to promote. However, she thought it would be
imprudent to break too abruptly with her, and contented herself for the
present with encasing her promise that neither mr. B----n, nor any other
person should for the future give her the least interruption of the
like sort.

From this day, however, she was continually ruminating how she should
quit her house, without running the risque of disobliging her so far as
not to be employed by her; for tho' she found herself at present free
from any of those importunities to which both by nature and principles
she was so averse, yet she could not answer to herself the continuing in
a place where virtu