The last fervent kiss which he imprinted on her lips, as she breathed
out the cold "Good-by, Ross; take care of yourself!" seemed to her
the seal of freedom; and she returned into her dressing-room, not to
weep, but to exult in the prospect of a thousand festivities and a
thousand captives at her feet.
Left at an early age without a mother, and ignorant of the duties of
a wife, she thought that if she kept her husband and herself out of
Doctor's Commons, she should do no harm by amusing herself with the
heart of every man who came in her way. Thus she hardly moved without
a train of admirers. She had already attracted everyone she deemed
worthy of the trouble, and listened to their compliments, and
insolent presumptions, until she was wearied of both. In this
juncture of _ennui_, Miss Egerton related to her the countess's
recontre with the gallant foreigner.
As soon as she heard he was of rank, (for Miss Egerton was not
backward to affirm the dreams of her own imagination,) she formed a
wish to see him; and when, to her infinite satisfaction, he did
present himself, in her eyes he exceeded everything that had been
described. To secure such a conquest, she thought, would not only
raise the envy of the women, but put the men on the alert to discover
some novel and attractive way of proving their devotion.
Whilst Lady Sara was meditating on her new conquest, the count and
Lady Tinemouth remained in their _tete-?-tete_.
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