 much disposed to
be sociable. The Capuchin, who had found his account in cultivating the
acquaintance of the young stranger, was not ill-pleased at this event, which
might, by protracting the term of their intercourse, yield him some opportunity
of profiting still further by his liberality: he therefore joined Mr. Jolter in
his admonitions, congratulating himself upon the prospect of enjoying his
conversation a little longer than he had expected; and our young gentleman
received a compliment to the same purpose from the Hebrew, who had that day
exercised his gallantry upon the French coquette, and was not without hope of
reaping the fruits of his attention, his rival, the painter, being quite
disgraced and dejected by the adventure of last night. As for the doctor, he was
too much engrossed in the contemplation of his own importance, to interest
himself in the affair, or its consequences, further than by observing, that the
European powers ought to establish public games, like those that were celebrated
of old in Greece; in which case, every state would be supplied with such
dextrous charioteers, as could drive a machine at full speed, within a hair's
breadth of a precipice, without any danger of its being overthrown. Peregrine
could not help yielding to their remonstrances, and united complaisance, for
which he thanked them in very polite terms, and his passion seeming to subside,
proposed that they should amuse themselves in walking round the ramparts, with a
view of enjoying some private conversation with his admired Fleming, who had
this whole day behaved with remarkable reserve. The proposal being embraced, he
(as usual) handed her into the street, and took all opportunities of promoting
his suit; but they were attended so closely by her father confessor, that he
foresaw it would be impracticable to accomplish his aim, without the connivance
of that ecclesiastick, which he was obliged to purchase with another purse, that
he offered, and was accepted as a charitable atonement for his criminal
behaviour during the interview which the friar had procured for the good of his
soul. This benefaction was no sooner made, than the pious mendicant edged off by
little and little, till he joined the rest of the company, leaving his generous
patron at full liberty to prosecute his purpose. It is not to be doubted that
our adventurer made a good use of this occasion: he practised a thousand flowers
of rhetoric, and actually exhausted his whole address, in persuading her to have
compassion upon his misery, and indulge him with another private audience,
without which he should run distracted, and be guilty of extravagancies, which,
in
