till the divorce was obtained. My heart said yes
to this offer at first word, but it was necessary to play the hypocrite
a little more with him; so I seemed to decline the motion with some
warmth, and besides a little condemning the thing as unfair, told him
that such a proposal could be of no signification, but to entangle us
both in great difficulties; for if he should not at last obtain the
divorce, yet we could not dissolve the marriage, neither could we
proceed in it; so that if he was disappointed in the divorce, I left
him to consider what a condition we should both be in.

In short, I carried on the argument against this so far, that I
convinced him it was not a proposal that had any sense in it. Well,
then he went from it to another, and that was, that I would sign and
seal a contract with him, conditioning to marry him as soon as the
divorce was obtained, and to be void if he could not obtain it.

I told him such a thing was more rational than the other; but as this
was the first time that ever I could imagine him weak enough to be in
earnest in this affair, I did not use to say Yes at first asking; I
would consider of it.

I played with this lover as an angler does with a trout. I found I had
him fast on the hook, so I jested with his new proposal, and put him
off. I told him he knew little of me, and bade him inquire about me; I
let him also go home with me to my lodging, though I would not ask him
to go in, for I told him it was not decent.

In short, I ventured to avoid signing a contract of marriage, and the
reason why I did it was because the lady that had invited me so
earnestly to go with her into Lancashire insisted so positively upon
it, and promised me such great fortunes, and such fine things there,
that I was tempted to go and try. 'Perhaps,' said I, 'I may mend
myself very much'; and then I made no scruple in my thoughts of
quitting my honest citizen, whom I was not so much in love with as not
to leave him for a richer.

In a word, I avoided a contract; but told him I would go into the
north, that he should know where to write to me by the consequence of
the business I had entrusted with him; that I would give him a
sufficient pledge of my respect for him, for I would leave almost all I
had in the world in his hands; and I would thus far give him my word,
that as soon as he had sued out a divorce from his first wife, he would
send me an account of it, I would come up to London, and tha