Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress by Daniel Defoe

I was surprised one morning when, being at the merchant's house whom he had recommended me to in Rotterdam, and being busy in his counting-house managing my bills and preparing to write a letter to him to Paris, I heard a noise of horses at the door; which is not very common in a city where everybody passes by water; but he had, it seems, ferried over the Maas from Wilhemstad, and so came to the very door. And I, looking towards the door upon hearing the horses, saw a gentleman alight and come in at the gate. I knew nothing and expected nothing, to be sure, of the person, but, as I say was surprised, and indeed more than ordinarily surprised, when coming nearer to me I saw it was my merchant of Paris, my benefactor, and indeed my deliverer.

I confess it was an agreeable surprise to me, and I was exceeding glad to see him who was so honourable and so kind to me, and who indeed had saved my life. As soon as he saw me he ran to me, took me in his arms and kissed me with a freedom that he never offered to take with me before. "Dear Madam ----," says he, "I am glad to see you safe in this country; if you had stayed two days longer in Paris you had been undone." I was so glad to see him that I could not speak for a good while, and I burst out into tears without speaking a word for a minute; but I recovered that disorder and said, "The more, sir, is my obligation to you that saved my life"; and added, "I am glad to see you here, that I may consider how to balance an account in which I am so much your debtor."