cation at the little share she had of
the good opinion of a man she loved; on the contrary, she esteemed the
affront she had received a proof of his affection. She had often indeed
heard the name of virtue, but by the use she had known made of the word,
it appeared to her to have no other signification than prudence. She was
not at all shocked with Lord Robert's conduct; but resolved not to
concur in his views, because she had no inclination to do so, that
overbalanced her very moderate degree of prudence. On this account she
determined to avoid being again alone with him.

Lady Mary's natural sense gave rise to some doubts, whether the very
open professions of gallantry which Lord Robert had made to her were
common; she had been frequently addressed with freedom, but his
behaviour seemed more than commonly presuming. In order to find what
others would think of it, she often turned the conversation to those
sort of subjects, and was a good deal startled one day by a lively, but
amiable and modest young lady who said she believed no man that was not
an absolute fool, or at the time intoxicated, ever insulted a woman with
improper behaviour or discourse, if he had not from some impropriety in
her conduct seen reason to imagine it would not be ill received; and I
am sure, added she, 'if such a thing was ever to befall me, it would
convert me into a starched prude, for fear that hereafter innocent
vivacity might be mistaken for vicious levity: I should take myself very
severely to task, convinced the offence was grounded on my conduct; for
I am well persuaded there is something so respectable in virtue that no
man will dare to insult it, except when a great disparity in
circumstances encourages an abandoned wretch to take advantage of the
necessity of the indigent.'

Lady Mary was greatly affected by this sentiment she began to reflect on
her own behaviour, and could not but see that Lord Robert might, without
any great danger of offending, hazard the behaviour he had been guilty
of; since in effect she had not conceived much anger against him, and
though she had hitherto avoided being again alone with him, yet she had
not shewn any very great marks of displeasure. She now watched with
attention the conduct of other young ladies; many of them seemed to act
on the same principles as herself; but she observed that she who had by
her declaration first raised in her suspicions about her own behaviour,
had a very different mann