leansed from mud and filth, who is
still conscious of God, and capable of pure delights, whose tender
loving heart, perhaps, is in the safekeeping of some honest, romantic
youth--what a fine thing to root her up unmercifully, to tear off her
budding leaves one by one, hurl her back again into the mire from which
she has been plucked, and make her acquainted with that new, that
withering, consuming fire of infernal passion begotten among the souls
of the nether world!

So the chase was let loose after the tender roe that had emerged from
the garden of paradise. Swarms of those knight-errants who have nothing
else to do waylaid and accosted her in the streets and byways, and
offered her their flattery, their homage, their gifts, but above the
head of the fairy roe rested a star, which suffered not the darts of the
huntsmen to hit their mark. That star was the star of purity.

The discomfited youths, more and more angry every day, used to meet at
the Meyers' and deride one another at the failure of their endeavours.
Very often, too, heavy bets on the issue of the event were offered and
taken, just as if it were a horse-race or a coursing-match. At length a
well-known dandy, Fennimore by name, resolved to try the effect of an
open direct attack; it was, he opined, the best way of conquering the
sex. So one day, when he had ascertained that Fanny was alone at home,
he sent her a splendid bouquet of hot-house flowers, in which was
concealed a _billet-doux_ of the following purport: If Fanny were
inclined to reward the devotion of a loving heart, she was to leave the
back door of the garden open in the evening. There are cases, he argued,
in which similar proposals lead most rapidly to the end desired.

The inexperienced girl, in the innocence of her astonishment, accepted
the proffered bouquet. This was adroitly calculated upon by the sender.
Any other missive might have aroused her suspicion and made her more
cautious, but flowers harmonize so well with a young girl's disposition
that how could she refuse them?

Only when the bearer of the missive had withdrawn did Fanny observe a
letter concealed among the flowers, and immediately, just as if she had
caught sight of a venomous spider, she threw away the bouquet, and ran
weeping to Dame Kramm, and sobbing bitterly, related the incident. She
fancied she was disgraced already.

Shortly afterwards Teresa returned home, and she and Dame Kramm held a
consultation over the se