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Rh though her heart was open to the most gentle impressions, Francis was the first who had appealed to her affections; and she felt a secret inclination for him. Yet, of this she was hardly conscious, though a more experienced girl would have known it was love. Leaving her dwelling, therefore, was a cruel blow; her lovely eyes were filled with tears; but now she softly returned her lover’s salutation with charming blushes, whenever he met her and her mother on their return from church. Yet both were mute: neither had exchanged a single word, though they as perfectly comprehended each other, as any language could have made them do. Both vowed in their inmost hearts to preserve the strictest secrecy and fidelity, and never even dream of forgetting one another.

In the neighbourhood of the place where the ladies had now settled, there were certain persons who made it their occupation to discover the abode of the most lovely young women, and the charms of the sweet young Mela did not long escape their attention. Almost opposite their humble dwelling, lived a thriving brewer, known among the wags of that period, by the title of the King of Hops, from his superior influence and wealth. He was a brisk young widower, whose days of mourning were drawing fast to a close, and who might now with strict propriety be again upon the look-out for a trusty