But, far from submitting to
the liberties he would have taken, she kept her person sacred from
his touch, and would not even suffer him to ravish a kiss of her
fair hand; so that he reaped no other advantage from the exercise
of his talents, during this interview, which lasted a whole hour,
than that of knowing he had overrated his own importance, and that
Emily's heart was not a garrison likely to surrender at discretion.
At length his addresses were interrupted by the arrival of the
mother, who had gone abroad to visit by herself; and the conversation
becoming more general, he understood that Godfrey was at London,
soliciting for a lieutenancy that had fallen vacant in the regiment
to which he belonged; and that Miss Sophy was at home with her
father.
Though our adventurer had not met with all the success he expected
by his first visit, he did not despair of reducing the fortress,
believing that in time there would be a mutiny in his favour, and
accordingly carried on the siege for several days, without profiting
by his perseverance; till, at length, having attended the ladies
to their own house in the country, he began to look upon this
adventure as time misspent, and resolved to discontinue his attack,
in hopes of meeting with a more favourable occasion; being, in
the meantime, ambitious of displaying in a higher sphere, those
qualifications which his vanity told him were at present misapplied.
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