J 2 The ADVENTURES of
cnt humours of every body in the family; then regu- f
lating my condutt by the 'observations I made, it was J
not long before I acquired the good-will of my c
matter, and all his fervants. ]
When I had been about a month in Don Vincent’s a
family, I thought I perceived that his daughter diftin- i
guilhed me from all the reft of the valets in the houfe. a
Always, when her eyes w'ere fixed upon me, I remark- I
ed a fort of complaifance in her countenance, which I i
could not obferve when lhe looked at my fellows.
Had 1 not lived among beaus and players, it would t
never have come into my head to imagine that Auro- t
xa could think of me; but I was a good deal fpoiled c
among thefe gentlemen, who are feldom extremely t
delicate in their fentiments of the molt virtuous ladies. <
“ If (faid I to myfelf) we may believe thofe ftage- c
players, they are fometimes benefited by the whims to 1 which women of quality are fubjctl: and how do I ]
know that my mittrefs is free from fuch caprice?— t
No (added I) I cannot believe it! lhe is not one of ]
thole Melfalinas, who, belying the pride of their j birth, humble their affeftions lo unworthily, even to the duft, and difhonour themfclvcs without blufhing : t
but rather, one of thofe virtuous, though tender, s
young ladies, who fatisfied with the bounds preferibed j
by honour to their inclinations, make no fci uple of in- t
/piling, as well as of entertaining a delicate paflion, «
which yields amufement without danger. j
Thefe were my fentiments of my mittrefs, though <
I did not know precifely how to interpret her behaviour. In the mean time, as often as (he faw me, fhe <
did not fail to finile, and exprefs joy in her counte- <
nance; fo that, without patting fora fool, any man i
might have been enfnared by fuch fair appearances ; i
I therefore could refift them no longer; but conclud- 1
rd, that Aurora was ftrongly captivated with my j
merit; and looked upon mylelf as one of thofe happy t
domcilics whofe fervice is i’weetened by love. That I might appear, in feme mcafure. lefs unworthy of the
favour