The idea of letting Emile fall in love before taking him on his travels is not my own.  It was suggested to me by the following incident.

I was in Venice calling on the tutor of a young Englishman.  It was winter and we were sitting round the fire.  The tutor’s letters were brought from the post office.  He glanced at them, and then read them aloud to his pupil.  They were in English; I understood not a word, but while he was reading I saw the young man tear some fine point lace ruffles which he was wearing, and throw them in the fire one after another, as quietly as he could, so that no one should see it.  Surprised at this whim, I looked at his face and thought I perceived some emotion; but the external signs of passion, though much alike in all men, have national differences which may easily lead one astray.  Nations have a different language of facial expression as well as of speech.  I waited till the letters were finished and then showing the tutor the bare wrists of his pupil, which he did his best to hide, I said, “May I ask the meaning of this?”

The tutor seeing what had happened began to laugh; he embraced his pupil with an air of satisfaction and, with his consent, he gave me the desired explanation.

“The ruffles,” said he, “which Mr. John has just torn to pieces, were a present from a lady in this town, who made them for him not long ago.  Now you must know that Mr. John is engaged to a young lady in his own country, with whom he is greatly in love, and she well deserves it.  This letter is from the lady’s mother, and I will translate the passage which caused the destruction you beheld.

“’Lucy is always at work upon Mr. John’s ruffles.  Yesterday Miss Betty Roldham came to spend the afternoon and insisted on doing some of her work.  I knew that Lucy was up very early this morning and I wanted to see what she was doing; I found her busy unpicking what Miss Betty had done.  She would not have a single stitch in her present done by any hand but her own.’”

Mr. John went to fetch another pair of ruffles, and I said to his tutor:  “Your pupil has a very good disposition; but tell me is not the letter from Miss Lucy’s mother a put up job?  Is it not an expedient of your designing against the lady of the ruffles?” “No,” said he, “it is quite genuine; I am not so artful as that; I have made use of simplicity and zeal, and God has blessed my efforts.”

This incident with regard to the young man stuck in my mind; it was sure to set a dreamer like me thinking.

But it is time we finished.  Let us take Mr. John back to Miss Lucy, or rather Emile to Sophy.  He brings her a heart as tender as ever, and a more enlightened mind, and he returns to his native land all the bettor for having made acquaintance with foreign governments through their vices and foreign nations through their virtues.  I have even taken care that he should associate himself with some man of worth in every nation, by means of a treaty of hospitality