The the cyprian's ball ~49~~circumstance which first gave
Miss Wilson her great notoriety was the affair with the young Marquis
of Worcester, then just _come out_, and a willing captive to her
artful wiles. So successfully did she inveigle her noble swain, and
so completely environ his heart, that in the fulness of his boyish
adoration of the fair Cytherean, he executed in her favour a certain
promise in writing, not a promise to pay, for that might have been of
no consequence, nor a promise of settlement, nor a promise to protect,
nothing so unsettled,--nothing less did the fair intriguante obtain
than a full, clear, and definite promise of marriage, with a sufficient
penalty thereunto attached to make the matter alarming and complete,
with every appearance on his part to ratify the contract. In this state
of things, information reached his Grace of B--f--t of his noble heir's
intention, who not much relishing the intended honour, or perhaps
doubting the permanency of his son's passion (for to question the purity
of the lady was impossible), entered into a negotiation with Harriette,
by which, on condition of her resigning the promise and pledging herself
never to see the Marquis more on familiar terms, this disinterested
woman was to receive eight hundred pounds per annum--so anxious was his
grace to prevent a mes-alliance in his family.
Pages:
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552