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 that then we
would talk seriously of the matter.
It was a base design I went with, that I must confess, though I was
invited thither with a design much worse than mine was, as the sequel
will discover. Well, I went with my friend, as I called her, into
Lancashire. All the way we went she caressed me with the utmost
appearance of a sincere, undissembled affection; treated me, except my
coach-hire, all the way; and her brother brought a gentleman's coach to
Warrington to receive us, and we were carried from thence to Liverpool
with as much ceremony as I could desire. We were also entertained at a
merchant's house in Liverpool three or four days very handsomely; I
forbear to tell his name, because of what followed. Then she told me
she would carry me to an uncle's house of hers, where we should be
nobly entertained. She did so; her uncle, as she called him, sent a
coach and four horses for us, and we were carried near forty miles I
know not whither.