A viler set of idle, dirty, abandoned
harlots, never disgraced any persuasion: one among them, however,
appeared pretty and interesting; she might be about my own age,
perhaps a year or two older, and had a pair of roguish eyes, which
frequently encountered mine; this was enough to inspire me with the
desire of becoming acquainted with her, but she had been so strongly
recommended to the care of the old governess of this respectable
sisterhood, and was so narrowly watched by the pious missionary, who
labored for her conversion with more zeal than diligence, that
during the two months we remained together in this house (where she
had already been three) I found it absolutely impossible to exchange a
word with her. She must have been extremely stupid, though she had not
the appearance of it, for never was a longer course of instruction;
the holy man could never bring her to a state of mind fit for
abjuration; meantime she became weary of her cloister, declaring that,
Christian or not, she would stay there no longer; and they were
obliged to take her at her. word, lest she should grow refractory, and
insist on departing as great a sinner as she came.
This hopeful community were assembled in honor of the new-comer;
when our guides made us a short exhortation: I was conjured to be
obedient to the grace that Heaven had bestowed on me; the rest were
admonished to assist me with their prayers, and give me edification by
their good example. Our virgins then retired to another apartment, and
I was left to contemplate, at leisure, that wherein I found myself.
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