Intreaties, promises of large settlements,
and every species of lure that the intriguers could invent, had
been attempted and played off without the slightest success; the fair
_limonadiere_ was proof against all their arts. In this state of
affairs arrived the then elegant and accomplished Earl of Chesterfield,
certainly one of the most attractive and finished men of his time, but,
without doubt, equally dissipated, and notorious for the number of his
amours. Whenever a charming girl in the humbler walks of life becomes
the star of noble attraction and the reigning toast among the _roues_
of the day, her destruction may be considered almost inevitable. The
amorous beaux naturally inflame the ardour of each other's desires by
their admiration of the general object of excitement; until the honour
of possessing such a treasure becomes a matter of heroism, a prize for
which the young and gay will perform the most unaccountable prodigies,
and, like the chivalrous knights of old, sacrifice health, fortune, and
eventually life, to bear away in triumph the fair conqueror of
hearts. Such was the situation of Miss Debouchette, when the Earl of
Chesterfield, whose passions had been unusually inflamed by the current
reports of the lady's beauty, found himself upon inspection that her
attractions were irresistible, but that it would require no unusual
skill to break down and conquer the prudence and good sense with which
superior education had guarded the mind of the fair _limonadiere_.
Pages:
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536