father, who treated him with the greatest tenderness; and (in that
fatal engagement in which he lost his life) received his death's
wound by endeavouring to save him from being taken by the enemy.
And gratitude to the memory of so good a friend was as great an
inducement to make him desire to see his daughter, as the report
he had heard both of hers and her cousin's great beauty.

Sempronius (for so this Colonel was called) was a very sensible,
well-bred, agreeable man; and from the circumstances of his former
acquaintance, and his present proper and polite behaviour, he soon
became very intimate in the family. The old lady was particularly
pleased with him; and secretly wished, that before she died she
might be so happy as to see one of her nieces married to
Sempronius. She could not from his behaviour see the least
particular liking to either, though he showed an equal and very
great esteem and regard for both.

He in reality liked them both extremely; and the reason of making
no declaration of love was, his being so undetermined in any
preference that was due to either. He saw plainly that he was
very agreeable to both; and with pleasure he observed, that they
made use of none of those arts which women generally do to get
away a disputed lover: and this sincere friendship which
subsisted between them raised in him the highest degree of love
and admiration. However he at last determined to make the
following trial:

He went first to Chloe, and (finding her alone) told her, that he
had the greatest liking in the world to her cousin; and had really
a mind to propose himself to her: but as he saw a very great