He had followed up his note to General Belch by calling upon the superb Mrs.Delilah Jones.

But neither the skillful wig, nor the freshened cheeks, nor the general repairs which her personal appearance had undergone, could hide from Abel the face of Kitty Dunham, whom he had sometimes met in other days when suppers were eaten in Grand Street and wagons were driven to Cato's.

He betrayed nothing, however; and she wrote to General Belch that she had disguised herself so that he did not recall her in the least.
Abel was intensely amused by the espionage of the Honorable Mr.Ele and the superb Jones.

He told his colleague how greatly he had been impressed by the widow--that she was really a fascinating woman, and, by Jove! though she was a widow, and no longer twenty, still there were a good many worse things a man might do than fall in love with her.

'Pon honor, he did not feel altogether sure of himself, though he thought he was hardened if any body was.
Mr.Ele smiled, and said, in a serious way, that she was a splendid woman, and if Abel persisted he must look out for a rival.
"For I thought it best to lead him on," he wrote to his friend Belch.
As for the lady herself, Abel was so dexterous that she really began to believe that she might do rather more for herself than her employers.