Languages & literature > Key to the drama

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the terrified Eugenia could avoid his ad-
drefifes ; it was her cuftom, how foon flic
had heard of his viftt, to retire to Tome un¬
frequented place in the gardens: at length
he grew very impatient, and one day having
flatly accufed me with at lead a tepidity in
his fervice, if not a full intention to der
ceive him, he peremptorily demanded to
fee her-, I trembled for the consequence,
and endeavoured once more to divert him
from the purpofe, by alluring him, that I
had already opened the fubje<5f to her; and
hoped, that by a conference or two more,
1 fliould be able to conquer her objeftions,
and to reconcile her to the honour he in¬
tended for her but that, as no fuch view
had ever before entered into either her’s or
my head; and that, as every leflbnfhe had
ftudied from her infancy, having been,
without regarding diftindions of men, to¬
tally repugnant to the thoughts of any plea-
fure or grandeur not confiftent with virtue*
a little time was neceflary to reafon her into
an alteration of her fentiments -, for I told
him, it would indeed be a hardship put up¬
on me, to command by authority what I
hoped fo foon to accomplish by perfuafion.
He appeared Somewhat fatisfied, but per-
fifted in Seeing iier, promifing at the fame
time, on his word, that he Should be fo far
frqjn offering any thing that might difguft