60 EARLY LIFE. 



creature related with an air the most natural and 

 affecting, all the injuries she had received from an 

 uncle whom she never had with the artifices by 

 which he had taken from her a fortune she never 

 possessed, and all the evils she had to fear from his 

 ill-treatment. ' You appear/ said she, ' to be a man 

 of such good counsel, that if you'll only have the con- 

 descendence to step home with me and examine my 

 affairs, I'm sure youll relieve me from the cruel 

 embarrassments into which I have fallen.' Memnon 

 followed her without hesitation, for the purpose of 

 examining, safely, her affairs, and giving her good 

 advice. The afflicted lady carried him into a per- 

 fumed apartment, and politely bid him be seated 

 upon a large sofa, where they both remained with 

 their legs crossed, and opposite to each other. The 

 damsel, while she spoke, cast her eyes on the ground, 

 and sometimes dropt tears from them ; and whenever 

 she raised them, they always happened to meet those 

 of the sage Memnon. The conversation was full of 

 tenderness, which redoubled every time they looked 

 at one other. Memnon took her affairs extremely to 

 heart, and felt every moment more and more a desire 

 to oblige so worthy and so unfortunate a personage. 

 Insensibly they ceased (in the heat of conversation) 

 to sit opposite to each other their legs were no 

 longer crossed. Memnon gave his advice so near 

 and so tenderly, that neither one nor t'other could 

 now speak of business, and they no longer knew 

 where they were. Whilst they continued in this 



