ex, and
the least attention to their reputation: he was not young, nor was his
person agreeable; however, with a great deal of wit he had a violent
passion for women. He did himself justice respecting his own merit; and,
being persuaded that he could only succeed with those who were desirous
of having his money, he was at open war with all the rest. He had a
little country-house four or five miles from London always well stocked
with girls: in other respects he was a very honest man, and the best
chess-player in England.

Price, alarmed at being thus closely examined by the most dangerous
enemy they could encounter, turned her head the other way, bid her
companion do the same, and told the coachman to drive on. Brounker
followed them unperceived on foot; and the coach having stopped twenty
or thirty yards farther up the street, they alighted. He was just
behind them, and formed the same judgment of them which a man much more
charitable to the sex must unavoidably have done, concluding that Miss
Jennings was a young courtesan upon the look-out, and that Miss Price
was the mother-abbess. He was, however, surprised to see them have much
better shoes and stockings than women of that rank generally wear, and
that the little orange girl, in getting out of a very high coach, showed
one of the handsomest legs he had ever seen: but as all this was no
obstruction to his designs, he resolved to purchase her at any rate, in
order to place her in his seraglio.

He came up to them, as they were giving their baskets in guard to the
coachman, with orders to wait for them exactly in that place. Brounker
immediately pushed in between them: as soon as they saw him, they gave
themselves up for lost; but he, without taking the least notice of their
surprise, took Price aside with one hand, and his purse with the other,
and began immediately to enter upon business, but was astonished to
perceive that she turned away her face, without either answering or
looking at him: As this conduct appeared to him unnatural, he stared her
full in the face, notwithstanding all her endeavours to prevent him:
he did the same to the other: and immediately recognised them, but
determined to conceal his discovery.

The old fox possessed a wonderful command of temper on such occasions,
and having teazed them a little longer to remove all suspicions he
quitted them, telling Price; "That she was a great fool to refuse his
offers, and that her girl would not, pe