morning, noon
Since her father had `` come in for Captain Bettesworth 's fortin , '' her mother had spared no pains to push Jessy forward in the world ; having no doubt that `` her beauty , when well dressed , would charm some great gentleman ; or , may be , some great lord ! '' Accordingly , Jessy was dizened out in all sorts of finery : her thoughts were wholly bent on fashions and flirting ; and her mother 's vanity , joined to her own , nearly turned her brain . Just as this fermentation of folly was gaining force , she happened to meet with Ensign Bloomington at a ball at Monmouth : he fell , or she thought he fell , desperately in love with her ; she of course coquetted with him : indeed , she gave him so much encouragement , that every body concluded they were to be married . She and her sister Sally were continually seen walking arm in arm with him in the streets of Monmouth ; and morning , noon , and night , she wore the drop-earrings , of which he had made her a present . It chanced , however , that Jilting Jessy heard an officer , in her ensign 's regiment , swear she was pretty enough to be the captain 's lady instead of the ensign 's ; and , from that moment , she thought no more of the ensign . He was enraged to find himself jilted thus by a country girl , and determined to have his revenge : consequently he immediately transferred all his attentions to her sister Sally ; judiciously calculating that , from the envy and jealousy he had seen between the sisters , this would be the most effectual mode of mortifying his perfidious fair . Jilting Jessy said her sister was welcome to her cast-off sweethearts : and Saucy Sally replied , her sister was welcome to be her bridemaid ; since , with all her beauty , and all her airs , she was not likely to be a bride .