the carpet, on which she had been literally _rolling_ in the excess of
her mirth, threw herself upon the sofa in an attitude of voluptuous
abandonment; and while complacently viewing her matchless leg, she
said--

"For your especial entertainment, my Chevalier, I will relate all that
transpired between me and the old goat, after your departure. At first,
he assailed me with a profusion of silly, sickening compliments on my
beauty; I blushed, (you know how well I _can_ blush, when I try,) and
assured him that his praises were divine--so eloquent, so elegantly
conveyed--and yet I thought them intolerably stupid. Then I gave him my
hand to kiss; and its contact with his lips made him as amorous as I
could possibly desire. He knelt at my feet; then arose, apologizing for
his rudeness. I threw all my powers of fascination into my looks, and
permitted him to take a seat by my side, on the sofa. At first, he sat
apart from me; but at last, gaining courage, he moved close to me, and
gently placed his arm around my waist; of course, I did not repulse him.
With secret joy I observed the eagerness with which he regarded such
parts of my person as were exposed--and I took good care to reveal it
liberally; how the odious old wretch gloated upon this bust, which you,
my Chevalier, pronounce so charming! At last, he kissed me--ugh! how
horribly the old creature's breath smelt! But I pretended to be more
pleased than angry; and from my lips his nauseous mouth wandered to my
neck, my shoulders, my bosom. I fairly shuddered as he besmeared me with
his disgusting kisses; and thinking that he had gone far enough, for
that time, I burst from his embrace, and reproached him (but not too
severely,) for his rude behavior--taking good care, however, to fan his
passions into a still fiercer flame, by telling him that my reason for
particularly dreading such familiarities, was, that they had a tendency
to excite my own desires to a degree that was dangerous to my honor. As
I foresaw, this artful assurance was received by him with ill-concealed
delight. He begged my pardon; it is needless to say, I forgave him, and
suffered him to resume his seat at my side, on condition that he would
take no further liberties, knowing very well that he could not long keep
his promise. Then came more compliments; I sang and played for him, and
he was beyond measure delighted. After a short conversation on the
secluded manner in which I lived, and the loneliness whi