MRS. VILLENEUF.

"Amare et sapere vix deo conceditur."

P. SYR

THIS Lady is the wife of a rich City merchant, who is enabled to support her in splendour, and introduce her into the circles of fashion. She attaches no duty to the title of wife, but rather makes it a privilege to indulge every idle and extravagant inclination; and, it is much doubted whether she keeps her pleasures within the bounds of innocent freedoms.

The pretended fondness she lavishes on her husband, even in the presence of those whom she has suffered to entertain her with their real or well-feigned love for her, and which professions she has been willing to return, in all their outward appearance of ardour, must, we should imagine, create a disgust in those

The Danger of Male Friends.

men, whom her beautiful person has inspired with a momentary passion: She often makes use of these blandishments to the unsuspecting Mr. Villeneuf, the better to persuade him to invite her male favourites to dinner, or to her evening parties. He is an easy-tempered man, much engaged in business, and looks upon her apparent sincerity as childish artlessness, utterly devoid of guile.

We should be happy could we shew the same lenity to Mrs. Villeneuf; but what can induce a married woman, who lives in harmony with her husband, to persist in the endeavour of drawing the hearts of all the men she sees towards herself to court the society of absolute strangers of the opposite sex; and she even has been known to make assignations with them.

She begins her morning operations, like a professed courtezan, as soon as her

Catching Birds as they fly.

breakfast is completed: She bares her bosom and shoulders in the most indelicate manner, and highly rouges a face on which is already seated the bloom of early youth.

In this unmatronly guise she draws her seat close to one of her front drawing-room windows, which are made even with the floor, and there she sits playing with her child, or leads, by some other attraction, the eyes of all the idle young men who pass by.

As she was seated in this way one morning, she drew the attention of a very handsome young man, who, taking her for a lady of improper character and profession, knocked at the door, and told the servant who opened it, he wished to speak to his mistress; and the man immediately ushered him into the drawingroom. She had noticed this gentleman in the street intently gazing at her, and

A chance Lover.

her folly and vanity felt highly gratified to find him seated by her side, rivetting his looks on her with that kind of tender expression which a man of intrigue so well knows how to throw into his eyes.

The young man found an air about every thing around him, in the behaviour of the servants, in a carriage or two calling, the owners of which left their tickets, which proved to him that she was a married lady, the respected mistress of the house, though her conduct so little deserved respect. In his conversation, he first introduced general topics: he found she had not much to say; very little mind about her, but seemingly well skilled in throwing out the allurements of her person: She often smiled where she should not, but that was easily pardoned; for she treated the beholder with the display of beautiful dimples, and a set of teeth white as ivory.

A Rendezvous.

The young man was more apprehensive than the lady of her husband's return. He hastily introduced the subject of love, and the deep impression Ler beauty had made on him. She was delighted, her animation gave her new charms in the eyes of the enamoured Alfred, for no other name would he ever give her, no other knowledge did she ever obtain of who he really was, but that his christian name was Alfred!

Alfred, before he quitted the house, obtained her consent to give him a meeting, the next morning, in an adjoining square! They afterwards soon parted to meet no more; and she shed some tears at separating from her Alfred.

She told this event in confidence to a friend; and indeed every one she saw, whom she found possessed of the least good nature, was her confidente; but she happened to mention this ridiculous af