Ì fancied my léctures against pride had conquered the vanity of my daughters, yét I still found thém sècretly attached tó àll their former finery; they still loved làces, ríbbons, bùgles, ánd cátgut; my wife herself retained a pássion fór hér crímson páduasoy, because I formerly happened to say it became hér.

The first Sunday, ín partícular, their behaviour sérved tó mórtify mè. Ì hád desired my girls the preceding night tó bè dréssed early the next dày; for Ì àlways loved tó bè át chúrch a good while before the rest of the congregation. They púnctually obeyed my diréctions; bút when wè wère tó assemble ín the morning át bréakfast, dówn càme my wife and daughters, dréssed out in all their former spléndor, thèir hàir plàistered úp with pomàtum, thèir fàces pátched to taste, their tràins bundled up into a heap behind, and rústling át évery mòtion. Ì could not help smiling át thèir vánity, partícularly that óf my wife, from whóm Ì expected mòre discrétion. In thís éxigence, therefore, my only resòurce wás tó òrder mỳ són, with án important àir, tó càll òur còach. The girls wère amazed at the command; bút Ì repeated it with more solémnity thán befòre.,,Surely, mỳ dèar, yòu jést,“ cried my wife,,,wè cán wàlk ít 9) pérfectly well; wè wánt nò còach tó cárry ús nów." You mistake, child," returned Ì, „wè dò wánt a coach; fór íf wè walk tó chúrch in this trím, the véry children in the parish will hòot àfter ús.“ ,,Indeed," replied my wife,,,Ì àlways imagined that mỳ Charles was fond of seeing his children neat and handsome about him." ,,Yòu mày bè ás nèat ás yòu please,“ interrupted Ì,,,ánd Ì sháll lóve yòu the bétter fór ít; bút àll thís ís nót nèatness, bút fríppery. Thèse rúfflings, ánd pínkings, ánd pátchings 1o), will ònly màke ús hated by all the wives of our neighbours. Nò, mỳ chíldren,' continued I, more gravely,,,thòse gówns mày bè altered into sómething of a plàiner cút; fór finery is véry unbecoming in ús, who want the means of dècency. Ì dò nót know whether súch flouncing and shredding 11) ís becoming even in the rich,

-

9) wè cán walk it; it steht hier ganz überflüssig.

10) thèse rufflings, and pinkings, and pátchings, dieser Faltenkram, dies Manschettenwerk und diese Schönpflästerchen.

11) such flouncing ánd shrédding, solch Befalbeln, Betroddeln und

if wè consider, upón a móderate calculation, that the nakedness of the indigent world mày bè clothed from the trimmings of

the vain."

This remonstrance hád the proper efféct; they went with great composure, thát véry instant, tó chànge thèir dréss; and the next dày Ì hád the satisfaction of finding my daughters, át thèir own requést, emplòyed in cútting úp thèir tràins ínto Sunday waistcoats for Dick and Bill, the twò líttle ones, and, whát wás stíll mòre satisfactory, the gówns seemed improved by this curtailing.

CHAPTER V.

A new and great Acquaintance introduced. What we place most hopes upón, génerally pròves mòst fátal.

Ár a small distance from the house, my predecessor hád måde a seat, overshaded by a hedge of hawthorn and honey suckle. Hère, when the weather was fine, and òur labour soon finished, wè ùsually sát together, tó enjoy an extensive landscape in the calm of the evening. Hère too wè dránk tèa, whích nów was become an occasional bánquet; and ás wè hád ít bút séldom, ít diffused a nèw joy, the preparation for it bèing made with nò small share of bústle and ceremony. Ón thèse occasions, òur twò little ónes àlways réad tó ús, ánd they wère régularly sérved àfter wè hád dóne. Sómetimes, tó give a variety tó òur amusements, the girls sáng to the guitar; and while they thús formed a little cóncert, my wife and Ì would stròll down the sloping field, that wás embellished with bluebells and centaury, tàlk óf òur children with rápture, and enjoy the breeze that wáfted bòth health and hàrmony.

In this manner wè began to find that every situation ín life may bring its own peculiar pléasures; évery morning wàked

solcher Besatz Diese Ausdrücke für den Firlefanz des weiblichen Putzes sind absichtlich verdreht. Er sagt im Unwillen, was ihm in den Mund kommt, ohne die rechte Benennung zu wissen, oder ohne sich darauf besinnen zu wollen.

ás tó a repetition of tòil; bút the evening repaid it with vàcant bilárity.

It was about the beginning óf àutumn, ón a hòliday, fór Ì képt súch ás íntervals of relaxation fróm làbour, thát Ì hád drawn out my fámily tó our usual plàce of amusement, áng our young musicians began their ùsual cóncert 1). Ás wè wère thús engaged, wè sàw a stág bòund nímbly bỳ, within about twenty pàces of whère wè were sitting, and, by its pánting, it seemed préssed by the hunters. Wè hád nót mách tìme tó refléct upon the pòor ánimal's distress, whén wè perceived the dógs and horsemen cóme sweeping alóng át sóme distance bebind, and making the véry pàth ít hád tàken. Ì wás ínstantly fór returning ín with my family; bút either curiósity ór surprise, ór sóme mòre hidden mòtive, héld my wife and daughters tó thèir seats. The huntsman, whò ròde fòremost, pàssed ús with great swiftness, followed by four or five persons mòre, whò seemed in equal hàste. Át làst, a young gentleman óf a more genteel appearance than the rést, càme forward, and for a while regarding ús, instéad of pursuing the chase, stopped short, and giving his horse tó a sérvant whò attended, approached us with a càreless superior àir. Hè sèemed to want no introdúction, bút wás gòing tó salute 3) mỳ dàughters ás one cértain of a kind recéption; bút they hád éarly léarned

1) cóncert. Obgleich in England der Sonntag in der grössten Stille zugebracht werden muss, so ist dagegen an Festtagen, ja selbst am Charfreitage, Jagen und Musiciren erlaubt. Doch ist man, wie Adrian in seinen Skizzen aus England versichert, auch in Beziehung auf den Sonntag seit wenigen Jahren sehr nachsichtig geworden. Man darf nur, 66 S. 223,,, Sonntag Nachmittags durch die Strassen von London gehen, um überall Harfen und Fortepianos zu hören früher etwas ganz Únerhörtes."

sagt er

2) salute, grüssen, begrüssen, nämlich mit einem Kuss. So heisst es in The first Tour of Doctor Syntax, Canto XIV:

Squire.

This, Doctor Syntax, is my sister:

Why, my good sir, you have not kiss'd her."

Syntax.

Do not suppose I'm such a brute

As to disdain the sweet salute."

Diese Sitte, die ehemals in England selbst unter Fremden Statt fand, ist jetzt ganz abgekommen.

1

the lesson of looking presúmption out of countenance. Upon whích hè lét ús know that his name wás Thornhill, and that hè wás the owner of the estate thát lày fór sóme extént round ús. Hè again, therefore, offered to salute the female part of the family, and such was the pówer óf fòrtune and fine clòthes, thát hè found nò sécond repúlse. Ás his address, thòugh cónfident, was easy, wè soon became mòre famíliar; and perceiving musical instruments lying near, hè bégged tó bè fàvoured with a sóng. Ás Ì did not appròve óf such disproportioned acquaintance, Ì winked upón mỳ dàughters, ín òrder to prevent their compliance; bút mỳ hint wás counteracted by one from their móther, sò that with a cheerful àir thèy gàve ús a favourite sóng óf Dryden 3). Mr. Thornhill seemed highly delighted with their performance and chòice, and then took up the guitàr himself. He played bút véry indífferently; however, mỳ éldest daughter repaid hís fòrmer applàuse with interest, ánd assùred him that his tones wère louder thán èven those of hér máster.

Át this compliment he bowed, which she returned with a courtesy. He praised hér taste, and shè commended his understanding; án àge cóuld not have made thém bétter acquàinted; while the fond móther too, èqually happy, insísted upón hér landlord's stepping in, and tàsting a glass of her gooseberry. The whole family seemed earnest tó please him; mỳ girls attémpted to entertain him with tópics they thought mòst módern, while Moses, on the contrary, gàve him a quèstion or twò from the ancients, for which he had the satisfaction of bèing laughed át; mỳ little ones wère nò léss búsy, ánd fondly stuck close to the stranger. All my endeavours could scarcely keep their dirty fingers fróm handling ánd tàrnishing the làce on his clothes, and lifting up the flaps of his pocket-hòles, tó sèe what was there. Át the approach óf èvening hè tóok lèave; bút not till he had requested permission to renew his visit, whích, ás hè wás òur landlord, wè mòst réadily agreed tó.

Ás sòon ás hè wás góne, mỳ wife called a còuncil on the conduct of the day. She wás óf opinion, thát ít wás a mòst fortunate hít, fór shè hád known even strànger things thán

3) Dryden, s. Cap. XVIII. Note 9.

that brought to beàr 4). Shè hòped agáin tó sèe the dày ín which we might hold up our heads with the best 5) of them; ánd concluded, shè protésted, she could see no reason why the two Miss Wrinklers should márry great fòrtunes, and hér children gét nóne. Ás this last argument was directed tó mè, Ì protésted Ì could sèe nò rèason fór ít neither, nór whỳ Mrs. Simpkins got the ten thousand pound prize in the lottery, and wè sát down with a blánk. „,Ì protést, Charles," cried my wife,,,this is the way you always damp mỳ girls and mè, whén wè àre ín spírits. Téll mè, Sóph, mỳ dèar, whát dó you think of our new visitor? Don't you think hè sèemed tó bè good-natured?"—,,Immensely sò, indeed, mammà," replied shè; ‚Ì thínk hè hás a great dèal tó sày upón évery thing, ánd is néver át a lóss; and the mòre trifling the subject, the more hè hás tó sày." ,,Yés," cried Olívia,,,hè ís wél enough for a mán; bút, fór my part, I don't much like him, hè ís sò extremely impudent and famíliar; bùt on the guitàr nè is shocking." Thèse twò last speeches Ì intérpreted by cóntraries. I found by this, thát Sophia intérnally despised, as múch ás Olívia sècretly admired hím. ,Whatéver mày bè your opinions of hím, my children," cried Ì,,,tó confess a trùth, hè hás nót preposséssed mè ín his favour. Dispropòrtioned friendships éver términate in disgúst; and Ì thought, notwithstanding all his èase, thát bè sèemed perfectly sénsible of the distance between ús. Lét ús kèep tó companions of òur own ránk. Thère ís nò character mòre contémptible thán a mán thất is a fortune-húnter; ánd İ cán sèe nò reason why fortune-hunting women should not bè contémptible too. Thús, át bést, wè shall bè contémptible if his views bè honourable; bút íf thèy bè ótherwise! Ì shóuld shúdder bút tó thínk of that. It is true, I have nò apprehénsions from the conduct óf mỳ children; bút Ì think thère àre some from his character" I would have procèeded, but for the interruption of a sérvant from the Squire, whò, with his compliments, sént ús a sìde óf vénison, and a promise to dine with ús sóme dàys àfter.

4) fór shè hád known etc., denn sie hätte schon die Erfahrung gemacht, dass selbst seltsamere Dinge, als die, gelungen wären.

5) bést, Besten Vornehmsten.