 on
my arrival, was dead, and now liv'd journey-woman to a milliner in town. That
last article, indeed, was not much of the side of what I pretended to pass for;
but it did pass, under favour of the growing passion I had inspir'd him with.
After he had next got out of me, very dextrously as he thought, what I had no
sort of design to make reserve of, my own, my mistress's name, and place of
abode, he loaded me with fruit, all the rarest and dearest he could pick out,
and sent me home, pondering on what might be the consequence of this adventure.
    As soon then as I came to Mrs. Cole's, I related to her all that passed, on
which she very judiciously concluded that if he did not come after me there was
no harm done, and that, if he did, as her presage suggested to her he would, his
character and his views should be well sifted, so as to know whether the game
was worth the springs; that in the mean time nothing was easier than my part in
it, since no more rested on me than to follow her cue and promptership
throughout, to the last act.
    The next morning, after an evening spent on his side, as we afterwards
learnt, in perquisitions into Mrs. Cole's character in the neighbourhood (than
which nothing could be more favourable to her design upon him), my gentleman
came in his chariot to the shop, where Mrs. Cole alone had an inkling of his
errand. Asking then for her, he easily made a beginning of acquaintance by
bespeaking some millinery ware: when, as I sat without lifting up my eyes, and
pursuing the hem of a ruffle with the utmost composure and simplicity of
industry, Mrs. Cole took notice that the first impressions I made on him ran no
risk of being destroyed by those of Louisa and Emily, who were then sitting at
work by me. After vainly endeavouring to catch my eyes in re-encounter with his
(as I held my head down, affecting a kind of consciousness of guilt for having,
by speaking to him, given him encouragement and means of following me), and
after giving Mrs. Cole direction when to bring the things home herself, and the
time he should expect them, he went out, taking with him some goods that he paid
for liberally, for the better grace of his introduction.
    The girls all this time did not in the least smoke the mystery of this new
