All this, and much more, he urged to the Abbe and Madam Bouville; and though their judgment disapproved of a further intimacy, without the sanction of our parents, yet so seductive were his persuasions, so irresistible his solicitations, that if not convinced, they were at least overborne by his eloquence, and at length gave a tacit permission to his visits, because they had not resolution to deny him.
This great point gained: He forgot not to make his advantages with me on the open and candid declarations he had made to my friends; whilst I, young and unsuspecting, gloried in the affection of a man so amiable and so disinterested, and gave up my heart without reserve, to the indulgence of passion, for an object so worthy. The Abbe, however, was not quite easy; he felt himself responsible to his friend for the honour and happiness of the child committed to his care; and although the prospect was fascinating, and such as he conceived must be for my interest; yet knowing my father's high notions
