mplicitly; and, to do her
justice, I never experienced at her hands other than a sincerity of
tenderness, and care for my interest, hardly heard of in those of
her profession. We parted that night, after having settled a perfect
unreserved agreement; and the next morning Mrs. Cole came, and took me
with her to her house for the first time.

Here, at the first sight of things, I found every thing breathe an air
of decency, modesty and order.

In the outer parlour, or rather shop, sat three young women, rather
demurely employed on millinery work, which was the cover of a traffic in
more precious commodities; but three beautifuller creatures could hardly
be seen. Two of them were extremely fair, the eldest not above nineteen;
and the third, much about that age, was a piquant brunette, whose black
sparking eyes, and perfect harmony of features and shape, left her
nothing to envy in her fairer companions. Their dress too had the more
design in it, the less it appeared to have, being in a taste of uniform
correct neatness, and elegant simplicity. These were the girls that
composed the small domestic flock, which my governess trained up with
surprising order and management, considering the giddy wildness of young
girls once got upon the loose. But then she never continued any in her
house, whom, after a due noviciate, she found un-tractable, or unwilling
to comply with the rules of it. Thus she had insensibly formed a little
family of love, in which the members found so sensibly their account,
in a rare alliance of pleasure and interest, and of a necessary outward
decency, with unbounded secret liberty, that Mrs. Cole, who had picked
them as much for their temper as their beauty, governed them with ease
to herself and them too.

To these pupils then of hers, whom she had prepared, she presented me
as a new boarder, and one that was to be immediately admitted to all the
intimacies of the house; upon which these charming girls gave me all the
marks of a welcome reception, and indeed of being perfectly pleased with
my figure, that I could possibly expect from any of my own sex: but they
had been effectually brought to sacrifice all jealousy, or competition
of charms, to a common interest, and considered me a partner that was
bringing no despicable stock of goods into the trade of the house. They
gathered round me, viewed me on all sides; and as my admission into this
joyous troop made a little holiday, the shew of work was laid