“I have known three or four instances of this in my time,” said Mrs. Towers, that Miss Sutton might not take it to herself; for she looked down and was a little serious.

“This,” replied I, “puts me in mind of a little humourous copy of verses, written, as I believe by Mr. B. And which, to the very purpose we are speaking of, he calls

"‘Benefit of making others’ misfortunes our own.

  “’Thou’st heard it, or read it, a million of times,
  That men are made up of falsehood and crimes;
  Search all the old authors, and ransack the new,
  Thou’lt find in love stories, scarce one mortal true. 
  Then why this complaining?  And why this wry face? 
  Is it ’cause thou’rt affected most with thy own case? 
  Had’st thou sooner made others’ misfortunes thy own,
  Thou never thyself, this disaster hadst known;
  Thy compassionate caution had kept thee from evil,
  And thou might’st have defy’d mankind and the devil.’”

The ladies were pleased with the lines; but Mrs. Towers wanted to know at what time of Mr. B.’s life they could be written.  “Because,” added she, “I never suspected, before, that the good gentleman ever took pains to write cautions or exhortations to our sex, to avoid the delusions of his own.”

These verses, and these facetious, but severe, remarks of Mrs. Towers, made every young lady look up with a cheerful countenance; because it pushed the ball from self:  and the dean said to his daughter, “So, my dear, you, that have been so attentive, must let us know what useful inferences you can draw from what Mrs. B. and the other ladies so excellently said.”

“I observe.  Sir, from the faults the ladies have so justly imputed to some of our sex, that the advantage the gentlemen chiefly have over us, is from our own weakness:  and that it behoves a prudent woman to guard against first impressions of favour, since she will think herself obliged, in compliment to her own judgment, to find reasons, if possible, to confirm them.

“But I wish to know if there be any way that a woman can judge, whether a man means honourably or not, in his address to her!”

“Mrs. B. can best inform you of that, Miss L.,” said Mrs. Towers:  “what say you, Mrs. B.?”

“There are a few signs,” answered I, “easy to be known, and, I think, almost infallible.”

“Pray let’s have them,” said Lady Arthur; and they all were very attentive.

“I lay it down as an undoubted truth,” said I, “that true love is one of the most respectful things in the world.  It strikes with awe and reverence the mind of the man who boasts its impressions.  It is chaste and pure in word and deed, and cannot bear to have the least indecency mingled with it.