 visit some of his friends who lived in that place. It
was in the house of one of these, that he was informed of Emilia's being then in
town with her mother; upon which, he excused himself from staying to drink tea,
and immediately repaired to their lodgings, according to the direction he had
received.
    When he arrived at the door, instead of undergoing that perturbation of
spirits, which a lover, in his interesting situation, might be supposed to feel,
he suffered no emotion but that of vanity and pride, favoured with an
opportunity of self-gratification, and entered his Emilia's apartment with the
air of a conceited petit maitre, rather than that of the respectful admirer,
when he visits the object of his passion, after an absence of seventeen months.
    The young lady having been very much disobliged at his mortifying neglect of
her brother's letter, had summoned all her own pride and resolution to her aid;
and by means of a happy disposition, so far overcame her chagrin at his
indifference, that she was able to behave in his presence with apparent
tranquillity and ease. She was even pleased to find, he had by accident chosen a
time for his visit, when she was surrounded by two or three young gentlemen, who
professed themselves her admirers. Our gallant was no sooner anounced, than she
collected all her coquettry, put on the gayest air she could assume, and
contrived to giggle just as he appeared at the room-door. The compliments of
salutation being performed, she welcomed him to England in a careless manner,
asked the news of Paris, and, before he could make any reply, desired one of the
other gentlemen to proceed with the sequel of that comical adventure, in the
relation of which he had been interrupted.
    Peregrine smiled within himself at this behaviour, which (without all doubt
he believed) she had affected to punish him for his unkind silence, while he was
abroad; being fully persuaded, that her heart was absolutely at his devotion. On
this supposition, he practised his Parisian improvements on the art of
conversation, and uttered a thousand prettinesses in the way of compliment, with
such incredible rotation of tongue, that his rivals were struck dumb with
astonishment; and Emilia fretted out of all temper, at seeing herself deprived
of the prerogative of the sex. He persisted, however, in this surprising
loquacity, until the rest of the company thought proper to withdraw, and then
contracted his discourse into the focus of love, which now put on a very
different appearance from that which it had formerly worn
