then, in consequence of these favourable
conceptions, to promote either my profit or pleasure, she had special
regard for the first, in a new gallant of a very singular turn, that she
procured for and introduced to me.

This was a grave staid, solemn, elderly gentleman, whose peculiar humour
was a delight in combing fine tresses of hair; and as I was perfectly
headed to his taste, he used to come constantly at my toilet hours, when
I let down my hair as loose as nature, and abandoned it to him to do
what he pleased with it; and accordingly he would keep me an hour or
more in play with it, drawing the comb through it, winding the curls
round his fingers, even kissing it as he smoothed it; and all this led
to no other use of my person, or any other liberties whatever, any more
than if a distinction of sexes had not existed.

Another peculiarity of taste he had, which was to present me with a
dozen pairs of the whitest kid gloves at a time: these he would divert
himself with drawing on me, and then biting off their finger ends;
all which fooleries of a silly appetite, the old gentleman paid more
liberally for, than most others did for more essential favours. This
lasted till a violent cough, seizing and laying him up, delivered me
from this most innocent and insipid trifler, for I never heard more of
him after his first retreat.

You may be sure a by-jod of this sort interfered with no other pursuit,
or plan of life; which I led, in truth, with a modesty and reserve
that was less the work of virtue than of exhausted novelty, a glut
of pleasure, and easy circumstances, that made me indifferent to any
engagements in which pleasure and profit were not eminently united; and
such I could, with the less impatience, wait for at the hands of time
and fortune, as I was satisfied I could never mend my pennyworths,
having evidently been served at the top of the market, and even
been pampered with dainties: besides that, in the sacrifice of a few
momentary impulses, I found a secret satisfaction in respecting myself,
as well as preserving the life and freshness of my complexion. Louisa
and Emily did not carry indeed their reserve so high as I did; but still
they were far from cheap or abandoned, though two of their adventures
seemed to contradict this general character, which, for their
singularity, I shall give you in course, beginning first with Emily's:

Louisa and she went one night to a ball, the first in the habit of a
sheph