They lend it him, however, now and
then, to repent with, and curse himself. The creature he attended to
Cuper's Gardens, instead of a country innocent, as he expected her to be,
comes out to be a cast mistress, experienced in all the arts of such, and
acting under the secret influences of a man of quality; who, wanting to
get rid of her, supports her in a prosecution commenced against him (poor
devil!) for performance of covenants. He was extremely mortified, on
finding my brother gone abroad: he intends to apply to him for his pity
and help. Sorry fellow! He boasted to us, on our expectation of our
brother's arrival from abroad, that he would enter his cousin Charles
into the ways of the town. Now he wants to avail himself against the
practices of the sons of that town by his cousin's character and
consequence.
A combination of sharpers, it seems, had long set him as a man of
fortune: but, on his taking refuge with my brother, gave over for a
time their designs upon him, till he threw himself again in their way.
The worthless fellow had been often liberal of his promises of marriage
to young creatures of more innocence than this; and thinks it very hard
that he should be prosecuted for a crime which he had so frequently
committed with impunity. Can you pity him? I cannot, I assure you. The
man who can betray and ruin an innocent woman, who loves him, ought to be
abhorred by men.
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