I am a melancholy instance." "You!" laughed Fanny, who had regained her good-humor.
"Yes; you know Williamsburg has many other things to recommend it besides the college." "What things ?" "Pretty girls." "Oh! indeed." "Yes, and I assure you I did not neglect the opportunity of prosecuting my favorite study--the female character.

Don't interrupt me--your character is no longer a study to me." "I am very glad, sir." "I made you out long ago--like the rest of your sex, you are, of course, very nearly angelic, but still have your faults." "Thank you, sir." "All true--but about Williamsburg--I was, I say, a melancholy sample of the effect produced by a kind and friendly speech from a lady.
Observe, that the said speech was perfectly commonplace, and sprung, I'm sure, from the speaker's general amiability; and yet, what must I do, but go and fall in love with her." "Oh!" from Fanny.
"Yes--true as truth itself; and, as a consequence, my friends, for the first, and only time, had a good joke against me.

They had a tale about my going to his Excellency, the Governor's palace, to look at the great map there--all for the purpose of finding where the country was in which she lived; for, observe, she was only on a visit to Williamsburg--of studying out this boundary, and that--this river to cross, and that place to stop at,--the time it would take to carry my affections over them--and all the thousand details.

Of course, this was not true, my darling Fanny, at least--" "Ralph, you shall stop talking to me like a child!" exclaimed Fanny, who had listened to the details of Mr.Ashley's passion with more and more constraint; "please to remember that I am not a baby, sir." Ralph looked at the lovely face, with its rosy-cheeks and flashing eyes, and burst out laughing.
"There, you are as angry as Cleopatra, when the slave brought her bad news--and, by Jove, Fanny, you are twice as lovely.

Really! you have improved wonderfully.