A mild and tender Censor. fair to a woman of exemplary prudence, who had known Mrs. Villeneuf from her infancy. She chid her, not like a severe and envious censor, but she tenderly exhorted her, and kindly admonished her to be more prudent. Guilty, whatever she thought, she would not pretend to believe her. She begged her to consider what she owed to her parents, to her husband and family!" But, Evelina," said this amiable woman, "if you are determined to continue this unguarded, this faulty conduct, I beseech you, confide not your reprehensible behaviour to me; and permit me to withdraw my acquaintance, though your mother was so anxious you should preserve it: You know how with tears, on your arrival in this giddy metropolis, she charged me to watch over you on the entrance into gay life: My admonitions have been useless; allow me then, to absent myself from your society." With all the most solemn professions Love no one but your Husband. she could make use of, Mrs. Villeneuf declared herself innocent; that she had only met her dear Alfred and walked with him; but she could not help loving him. "But my dear child," said her friend, "You are now to love no one but your husband." "Oh! replied Mrs. Villeneuf, "I have now parted with Alfred never to see him more ! I will, indeed, think only of Villeneuf; do not you forsake me." Whether the connexion Mrs. Villeneuf had with Alfred was really innocent, there yet remains a doubt; it probably might be so, for he was a refined young man, and was, it is most likely, disgusted with the forwardness of Mrs. Villeneuf. We should suppose that young men of any mind are not fond of so easy a conquest. For some time after this event, though A narrow Escape. Mrs. Villeneuf still continued in her undress, like a painted transparency at her window, yet nothing material occurred to her in her career of lover-catching, till being one evening introduced to the friend of an unfortunate young lady, who visited this country after having united herself to an ungrateful usurper, Mrs. Villeneuf pointed all the artillery of her personal charms at this friend. He was at first very near being drawn into her snares; but as he was a man of most correct manners, some unwarrantable licence in her behaviour towards him, made him quit her, with a contempt bordering on disgust. Men like to caress, but not to be much caressed. If the two great principles of Attack and Defence between the sexes, are entirely done away with, love expands his broad wings, and flies off, never to be recalled ! Conclusion. The unpardonable outward behaviour of Mrs. Villeneuf is so palpably licentious, that charity scarce knows how to undertake her defence. It is true before her marriage she lived almost entirely in the country. The scenes of London, and its gaities open to her bewildered senses a new world; and it is now indeed too much a world of dissipation and gallantry: This has probably affected a mind naturally weak. If not actually guilty, we fear that mind is become corrupt. We hope she wiH stop in time, and preserve by her future merit, that affection from a kind husband she now so amply possesses, and we are sorry to add she so little deserves. |