Continued.

some, had a something of fashion about her, and yet accompanied by a kind of inexperienced air.

"As he had never seen her any where before, he had recourse to the old expedient of making known his rank, and intreating and imploring the lady would accompany him home. The artful fair one appeared to be softened, refused this favour, but seemed willing, and, indeed, rather desirous, the Duke should accompany her. He had rather have spared himself that trouble. Again intreating, and the better to obtain his purpose, he slipped a note into her willing hand. Still he was obliged to follow, for the lady had highly charmed him, and she led the way, resolving not to accompany him to his residence. Of course a woman of any fashion seldom walks far when quite alone; she soon stopped at the door of an house in a fashionable square, the door of which

The Catastrophe.

was opened to her with great respect by a servant in a dashing livery.

Appearances, and the conduct of the lady, made the Duke now think he had fell in with some courtezan, kept in high style and splendour. They were shown into an elegant saloon back-parlour, where was seated a most respectable looking gentleman, whom, to the amazement and confusion of his Grace, the lady introduced as her husband!"-"And permit ine, my dear," said she, " to introduce to. you his Grace the Duke of Warton! andsee," added she, laying the note on the table, "the honour his Grace intended you and me, and how generous he would have shown himself!".

"How this adventure ended, you may easily guess I had heard enough, from the first authority, of the truth of it;. and as the qui pro quo was all I thought

Plan for future Readings.

worth of it, I did not stay to hear the rest: I only know the poor Duke was most egregiously duped and confused and was close housed, for some time after, under pretence of indisposition.

"Now I will tell you whose adventures I mean to give you next." "Oh, if you are going into adventures and histories, I shall be weary," said the Duchess; "most truly so."

"Customs then and characters," said his Lordship; " and they shall be those of the Honourable Mrs. Fernonville."

"Oh! heavens," said Lady Charlotte, "neither her customs or character can, I am sure, be edifying; I think they will rather disgrace your pen."-" Disgrace my pen!" replied the Marquis, "Oh! she is the glass of easy manners, in which delightful mirror I would like each dear-bewitching female to dress herself! Come now, is not that thought almost as

Deserved Censure.

pretty as your divine Shakespeare's, my prudish sister?”

66

"You cannot tax me with that," said Lady Charlotte; no one, I believe, is more free from prudery than myself; but I cannot help saying, that the indecorous conduct of Mrs. Fernonville, however she may be supported by the fashionable world, is not only disgusting but extremely prejudicial: Be assured, my dear brother, it is such women who give men an unfavourable opinion of our sex; and, not only unfavourable, but it causes them to lose that respect which is due to us, when they see the demi, more than demi nudity of a wife and a mother: and thus the continual trials in Westminster Hall, for the seduction, as it is called, of wives, most alarmingly increases Why cannot women draw a medium between starched frigidity, and the licentious manner of a courtezan? So different from that sweet and chastened

on Demi-nudity.

freedom of manners, where liberality of mind and elegant ease make up the charm of lively conversation? Instead of this we either now find a stupid silence, a romantic and affected purity, in the air and discourse, or else they run into that levity, which is sure to injure their characters, however undeservedly, and subjects them to the licentious attacks of every unprincipled libertine; while their dress exceeds in immodesty that of the unhappy female who walks the streets. I should think, such want of covering can leave nothing to the imagination, and must disgust your sex in the moment of reflection."

"I declare Charlotte, you are a sweet girl," said the Marquis, embracing her: "I believe you will one day convert me into a moral man, in spite of the prevalence of dear fashion: But do not you see, Duchess, she has a little spice of voluptuous coquetry about her? she wishes