302 CONTRAST. 



heart, that my feelings were of the very 

 opposite nature; and I seemed, in antici- 

 pation, to loathe the very appearance of 

 the man to whom I ought to have con- 

 sidered myself indebted. There was, how- 

 ever, nothing in common between us ; his 

 manners were coarse, his associations vul- 

 gar ; conversation he had none ; and what- 

 ever his morals may have been, abstinence 

 seemed to me to be his only virtue, and 

 that a very negative one ; it must be con- 

 fessed, therefore, that it was chiefly my 

 dislike to be seen with him, in the com- 

 pany of those I took to be gentlemen 

 indeed some of whom I knew were 

 than any repugnance I had to the fas- 

 cinating vice, that kept me from repeating 

 my visit. 



Glad of an opportunity of absenting 

 myself from the locality of my daily attend- 

 ance, and stealing into the country above 

 all, to avoid my last night's companion, I 



