now the best way quietly to mount his horse, and to carry back with him
to London a severe cold, instead of the soft wishes and tender desires he
had brought from thence. He quitted this perfidious place with much
greater expedition than he had arrived at it, though his mind was far
from being occupied with such tender and agreeable ideas: however, when
he thought himself at a sufficient distance to be out of danger of
meeting Lord Chesterfield and his hounds, he chose to look back, that
he might at least have the satisfaction of seeing the prison where this
wicked enchantress was confined; but what was his surprise, when he saw a
very fine house, situated on the banks of a river, in the most delightful
and pleasant country imaginable. Neither rock nor precipice was here to
be seen; for, in reality, they were only in the letter of his perfidious
mistress. This furnished fresh cause for resentment and confusion to a
man who thought himself so well acquainted with all the wiles, as well as
weaknesses, of the fair sex; and who now found himself the dupe of a
coquette, who was reconciled to her husband in order to be revenged on
her lover.

At last he reached London, well furnished with arguments to maintain that
a man must be extremely weak to trust to the tenderness of a woman who
has once deceived him, but that he must be a complete fool to run after
her.

This adventure not being much to his credit, he suppressed, as much as
possible, both the journey and the circumstances attending it; but, as we
may easily suppose, Lady Chesterfield made no secret of it, the king came
to the knowledge of it; and, having complimented Hamilton upon it,
desired to be informed of all the particulars of the expedition. The
Chevalier de Grammont happened to be present at this recital; and, having
gently inveighed against the treacherous manner in which he had been