Delilah。
ImustcallherbythenamewegaveheraftershehadtrimmedtheSamsonlocksofourProfessor。Delilahisapuzzletomostofus。
Aprettycreature,dangerouslyprettytobeinastationnotguardedbyalltheprotectivearrangementswhichsurroundthemaidensofahighersocialorder。Ittakesastrongcagetokeepinatigeroragrizzlybear,butwhatironbars,whatbarbedwires,cankeepoutthesmoothandsubtleenemythatfindsoutthecagewherebeautyisimprisoned？OuryoungDoctorisevidentlyattractedbythecharmingmaidenwhoserveshimandussomodestlyandsogracefully。
Fortunately,theMistressneverlosessightofher。Ifshewereherowndaughter,shecouldnotbemorewatchfulofallhermovements。
AndyetIdonotbelievethatDelilahneedsallthisoverlooking。IfIamnotmistaken,sheknowshowtotakecareofherself,andcouldbetrustedanywhere,inanycompany,withoutaduenna。Shehasahistory,——Ifeelsureofit。Shehasbeentrainedandtaughtasyoungpersonsofhigherpositioninlifearebroughtup,anddoesnotbelonginthehumblestationinwhichwefindher。ButinasmuchastheMistresssaysnothingaboutherantecedents,wedonotliketobetooinquisitive。ThetwoAnnexesare,itisplain,verycuriousabouther。Icannotwonder。Theyarebothgood—lookinggirls,butDelilahisprettierthaneitherofthem。Mysightisnotsogoodasitwas,butIcanseethewayinwhichtheeyesoftheyoungpeoplefolloweachotheraboutplainlyenoughtosetmethinkingastowhatisgoingoninthethinkingmarrowbehindthem。TheyoungDoctor\'sfollowDelilahassheglidesroundthetable,——theylookintoherswhenevertheygetachance;butthegirl\'sneverbetrayanyconsciousnessofit,sofarasIcansee。Thereisnomistakingtheinterestwithwhichthetwo,Annexeswatchallthis。Whyshouldn\'tthey,Ishouldliketoknow？TheDoctorisabrightyoungfellow,andwantsnothingbutabaldspotandawifetofindhimselfinacomfortablefamilypractice。OneoftheAnnexes,asIhavesaid,。
hashadthoughtsofbecomingadoctress。Idon\'tthinktheDoctorwouldwanthiswifetopractisemedicine,forreasonswhichIwillnotstoptomention。Suchapartnershipsometimesworkswonderfullywell,asinonewell—knowninstancewherehusbandandwifearebotheminentintheprofession;butouryoungDoctorhassaidtomethathehadratherseehiswife,——ifheevershouldhaveone,——atthepianothanatthedissecting—table。OfcoursetheAnnexesknownothingaboutthis,andtheymaythink,asheprofessedhimselfwillingtolectureonmedicinetowomen,hemightliketotakeoneofhispupilsasahelpmeet。
IfitwerenotforourDelilah\'shumbleposition,Idon\'tseewhyshewouldnotbeagoodmatchforanyyoungman。Butthenitissohardtotakeayoungwomanfromsoverylowlyaconditionasthatofa\"waitress\"thatitwouldrequireadealofcouragetoventureonsuchastep。Ifwecouldonlyfindoutthatsheisaprincessindisguise,sotospeak,——thatis,ayoungpersonofpresentableconnectionsaswellaspleasinglooksandmanners;thatshehashadaneducationofsomekind,aswesuspectedwhensheblushedonhearingherselfspokenofasa\"gentillepetite,\"why,theneverythingwouldbeallright,theyoungDoctorwouldhaveplainsailing,——thatis,ifbeisinlovewithher,andifshefancieshim,——andIshouldfindmylove—story,——theoneIexpected,butnotbetweenthepartiesIhadthoughtwouldbematingwitheachother。
DearlittleDelilah！Lilyofthevalley,growingintheshadenow,——
perhapsbetterthereuntilherpetalsdrop;andyetifsheisallI
oftenfancysheis,howheryouthfulpresencewouldilluminateandsweetenahousehold！Thereisnotoneofuswhodoesnotfeelinterestedinher,——notoneofuswhowouldnotbedelightedatsomeCinderellatransformationwhichwouldshowherinthesettingNaturemeantforherfavorite。
ThefancyofNumberSevenaboutthewitches\'broomstickssuggestedtooneofusthefollowingpoem:
THEBROOMSTICKTRAIN;
OR,THERETURNOFTHEWITCHES。
Lookout！Lookout,boys！Clearthetrack！
Thewitchesarehere！They\'veallcomeback！
Theyhangedthemhigh,——Nouse！Nouse！
Whatcaresawitchforahangman\'snoose？
Theyburiedthemdeep,buttheywouldn\'tlie,still,Forcatsandwitchesarehardtokill;
Theysworetheyshouldn\'tandwouldn\'tdie,Bookssaidtheydid,buttheylie！theylie！
——Acoupleofhundredyears,orso,Theyhadknockedaboutintheworldbelow,WhenanEssexDeacondroppedintocall,Andahomesickfeelingseizedthemall;
Forhecamefromaplacetheyknewfullwell,Andmanyatalehehadtotell。
Theylongtovisitthehauntsofmen,Toseetheolddwellingstheyknewagain,AndrideontheirbroomsticksallaroundTheirwidedomainofunhallowedground。
InEssexcountythere\'smanyaroofWellknowntohimoftheclovenhoof;
ThesmallsquarewindowsarefullinviewWhichthemidnighthagswentsailingthrough,Ontheirwell—trainedbroomsticksmountedhigh,Seenlikeshadowsagainstthesky;
Crossingthetrackofowlsandbats,Huggingbeforethemtheircoal—blackcats。
Welldidtheyknow,thosegrayoldwives,ThesightsweseeinourdailydrivesShimmeroflakeandshineofsea,Brown\'sbarehillwithitslonelytree,（Itwasn\'tthenasweseeitnow,Withonescantscalp—locktoshadeitsbrow;）
DuskynooksintheEssexwoods,Dark,dim,Dante—likesolitudes,Wherethetree—toadwatchesthesinuoussnakeGlidethroughhisforestsoffernandbrake;
IpswichRiver;itsoldstonebridge;
FaroffAndover\'sIndianRidge,AndmanyascenewherehistorytellsSomeshadowofbygoneterrordwells,Of\"Norman\'sWoe\"withitstaleofdread,OftheScreechingWomanofMarblehead,（ThefearfulstorythatturnsmenpaleDon\'tbidmetellit,——myspeechwouldfail。）
Whowouldnot,willnot,ifhecan,BatheinthebreezesoffairCapeAnn,Restinthebowersherbaysenfold,Lovedbythesachemsandsquawsofold？
Homewherethewhitemagnoliasbloom,Sweetwiththebayberry\'schasteperfume,HuggedbythewoodsandkissedbythesealWhereistheEdenliketothee？
Forthat\"coupleofhundredyears,orso,\"
Therehadbeennopeaceintheworldbelow;
Thewitchesstillgrumbling,\"Itisn\'tfair;
Come,giveusatasteoftheupperair！
We\'vehadenoughofyoursulphursprings,Andtheevilodorthatroundthemclings;
Welongforadrinkthatiscoolandnice,GreatbucketsofwaterwithWenhamice;
We\'veservedyouwellup—stairs,youknow;
You\'reagoodold—fellow——come,letusgo！\"
Idon\'tfeelsureofhisbeinggood,Buthehappenedtobeinapleasantmood,Asfiendswiththeirskinsfullsometimesare,（He\'dbeendrinkingwith\"roughs\"ataBostonbar。）
SowhatdoeshedobutupandshoutToagraybeardturnkey,\"Let\'emout！\"
Tomindhisorderswasallheknew;
Thegatesswungopen,andouttheyflew。
\"Whereareourbroomsticks？\"thebeldamscried。
\"Hereareyourbroomsticks,\"animpreplied。
\"They\'vebeenin——theplaceyouknow——solongTheysmellofbrimstoneuncommonstrong;
Butthey\'vegainedbybeingleftalone,Justlook,andyou\'llseehowtallthey\'vegrown。\"
——Andwhereismycat？\"avixensqualled。
Yes,whereareourcats？\"thewitchesbawled,Andbegantocallthemallbyname:
Asfastastheycalledthecats,theycameTherewasbob—tailedTommyandlong—tailedTim,Andwall—eyedJackyandgreen—eyedJim,Andsplay—footBennyandslim—leggedBeau,AndSkinnyandSqually,andJerryandJoe,Andmanyanotherthatcameatcall,Itwouldtaketoolongtocountthemall。
Allblack,——onecouldhardlytellwhichwaswhich,Buteverycatknewhisownoldwitch;
Andsheknewhersashersknewher,Ah,didn\'ttheycurltheirtailsandpurr！
NosoonerthewitheredhagswerefreeThanouttheyswarmedforamidnightspree;
Icouldn\'ttellalltheydidinrhymes,ButtheEssexpeoplehaddreadfultimes。
TheSwampscottfishermenstillrelateHowastrangesea—monsterstolethairbait;
Howtheirnetsweretangledinloopsandknots,Andtheyfounddeadcrabsintheirlobster—pots。
PoorDanversgrievedforherblastedcrops,AndWilmingtonmournedovermildewedhops。
AblightplayedhavocwithBeverlybeans,Itwasalltheworkofthosehatefulqueans！
Adreadfulpanicbeganat\"Pride\'s,\"
Wherethewitchesstoppedintheirmidnightrides,Andthererosestrangerumorsandvaguealarms\'MidthepeacefuldwellersatBeverlyFarms。
NowwhentheBossoftheBeldamsfoundThatwithouthisleavetheywererampinground,Hecalled,——theycouldhearhimtwentymiles,>FromChelseabeachtotheMiseryIsles;
ThedeafestoldgrannyknewhistoneWithoutthetrickofthetelephone。
\"Comehere,youwitches！Comehere！\"sayshe,——
\"Atyourgamesofold,withoutaskingmeI\'llgiveyoualittlejobtodoThatwillkeepyoustirring,yougodlesscrew！\"
Theycame,ofcourse,attheirmaster\'scall,Thewitches,thebroomsticks,thecats,andall;
HeledthehagstoarailwaytrainThehorsesweretryingtodraginvain。
\"Now,then,\"sayshe,\"you\'vehadyourfun,Andherearethecarsyou\'vegottorun。
Thedrivermayjustunhitchhisteam,Wedon\'twanthorses,wedon\'twantsteam;
Youmaykeepyouroldblackcatstohug,Buttheloadedtrainyou\'vegottolug。\"
Sincethenonmanyacaryou\'llseeAbroomstickplainasplaincanbe;
Oneverystickthere\'sawitchastride,Thestringyouseetoherlegistied。
Shewilldoamischiefifshecan,Butthestringisheldbyacarefulman,Andwhenevertheevil—mindedwitchWouldcutcomecaper,hegivesatwitch。
Asforthehag,youcan\'tseeher,Buthark！youcanhearherblackcat\'spurr,Andnowandthen,asacargoesby,Youmaycatchagleamfromherwickedeye。
Oftenyou\'velookedonarushingtrain,Butjustwhatmoveditwasnotsoplain。
Itcouldn\'tbethosewiresabove,Fortheycouldneitherpullnorshove;
WherewasthemotorthatmadeitgoYoucouldn\'tguess,butnowyouknow。
RemembermyrhymeswhenyourideagainOntherattlingrailbythebroomsticktrain！
X
InmylastreportofourtalksovertheteacupsIhadsomethingtosayofthefondnessofourpeoplefortitles。Wheredidtheanti—
republican,anti—democraticpassionforswellingnamescomefrom,andhowlonghasitbeennaturalizedamongus？
Astrikinginstanceofitoccurredatabouttheendofthelastcentury。ItwasatthattimethereappearedamongusoneofthemostoriginalandsingularpersonagestowhomAmericahasgivenbirth。
Manyofourcompany,——manyofmyreaders,——allwellacquaintedwithhisname,andnotwhollyignorantofhishistory。Theywillnotobjecttomygivingsomeparticularsrelatingtohim,which,ifnotnewtothem,willbenewtoothersintowhosehandsthesepagesmayfall。
TimothyDexter,thefirstclaimantofatitleofnobilityamongthepeopleoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica,wasborninthetownofMalden,nearBoston。Heservedanapprenticeshipasaleather—
dresser,savedsomemoney,gotsomemorewithhiswife,begantradingandspeculating,andbecameatlastrich,forthosedays。Hismostfamousbusinessenterprisewasthatofsendinganinvoiceofwarming—
panstotheWestIndies。Afewtonsoficewouldhaveseemedtopromiseabetterreturn;butinpointoffact,hetellsus,thewarming—panswerefoundusefulinthemanufactureofsugar,andbroughthiminahandsomeprofit。Hisambitionrosewithhisfortune。HepurchasedalargeandstatelyhouseinNewburyport,andproceededtoembellishandfurnishitaccordingtothedictatesofhistasteandfancy。Inthegroundsabouthishouse,hecausedtobeerectedbetweenfortyandfiftywoodenstatuesofgreatmenandallegoricalfigures,togetherwithfourlionsandonelamb。AmongtheseimagesweretwostatuesofDexterhimself,oneofwhichheldalabelwithacharacteristicinscription。Hishousewasornamentedwithminarets,adornedwithgoldenballs,andsurmountedbyalargegilteagle。Heequippeditwithcostlyfurniture,withpaintings,andalibrary。Hewentsofarastoprocuretheservicesofapoetlaureate,whosebusinessitseemstohavebeentosinghispraises。
Surroundedwithsplendorslikethese,theplaintitleof\"Mr。\"Dexterwouldhavebeeninfinitelytoomeanandcommon。Hethereforeboldlytookthestepofself—ennobling,andgavehimselfforth——ashesaid,obeying\"thevoiceofthepeopleatlarge\"——as\"LordTimothyDexter,\"
bywhichappellationhehaseversincebeenknowntotheAmericanpublic。
IftobethepioneerintheintroductionofOldWorldtitlesintorepublicanAmericacanconferaclaimtoberememberedbyposterity,LordTimothyDexterhasarighttohistoricimmortality。IfthetrueAmericanspiritshowsitselfmostclearlyinboundlessself—
assertion,TimothyDexteristhegreatoriginalAmericanegotist。IftothrowofftheshacklesofOldWorldpedantry,anddefythepaltryrulesandexamplesofgrammariansandrhetoricians,isthespecialprovinceandthecharteredprivilegeoftheAmericanwriter,TimothyDexteristhefounderofanewschool,whichtramplesunderfoottheconventionalitiesthathamperedandsubjugatedthefacultiesofthepoets,thedramatists,thehistorians,essayists,story—tellers,orators,oftheworn—outraceswhichhaveprecededthegreatAmericanpeople。
ThematerialtracesofthefirstAmericannobleman\'sexistencehavenearlydisappeared。Thehouseisstillstanding,butthestatues,theminarets,thearches,andthememoryofthegreatLordTimothyDexterlivechieflyintradition,andintheworkwhichbebequeathedtoposterity,andofwhichIshallsayafewwords。Itisunquestionablyathoroughlyoriginalproduction,andIfearthatsomereadersmaythinkIamtriflingwiththemwhenIamquotingitliterally。IamgoingtomakeastrongclaimforLordTimothyasagainstothercandidatesforacertainelevatedposition。
ThomasJeffersoniscommonlyrecognizedasthefirsttoproclaimbeforetheworldthepoliticalindependenceofAmerica。Itisnotsogenerallyagreeduponastowhowasthefirsttoannouncetheliteraryemancipationofourcountry。
OneofMr。Emerson\'sbiographershasclaimedthathisPhiBetaKappaOrationwasourDeclarationofLiteraryIndependence。ButMr。
EmersondidnotcuthimselfloosefromallthetraditionsofOldWorldscholarship。Hespelledhiswordscorrectly,heconstructedhissentencesgrammatically。Headheredtotheslavishrulesofpropriety,andobservedthereticenceswhichatraditionaldelicacyhasconsideredinviolableindecentsociety,EuropeanandOrientalalike。Whenhewrotepoetry,hecommonlyselectedsubjectswhichseemedadaptedtopoeticaltreatment,——apparentlythinkingthatallthingswerenotequallycalculatedtoinspirethetruepoet\'sgenius。
Once,indeed,heventuredtoreferto\"themealinthefirkin,themilkinthepan,\"buthechieflyrestrictedhimselftosubjectssuchasafastidiousconventionalismwouldapproveashavingacertainfitnessforpoeticaltreatment。Hewasnotalwayssocarefulashemighthavebeenintherhythmandrhymeofhisverse,butinthemainherecognizedtheoldestablishedlawswhichhavebeenacceptedasregulatingboth。Inshort,withallhisoriginality,heworkedinOldWorldharness,andcannotbeconsideredasthecreatorofatrulyAmerican,self—governed,self—centred,absolutelyindependentstyleofthinkingandwriting,knowingnolawbutitsownsovereignwillandpleasure。
AstrongerclaimmightbeurgedforMr。Whitman。HetakesintohishospitablevocabularywordswhichnoEnglishdictionaryrecognizesasbelongingtothelanguage,——wordswhichwillbelookedforinvainoutsideofhisownpages。Heacceptsaspoeticalsubjectsallthingsalike,commonandunclean,withoutdiscrimination,miscellaneousasthecontentsofthegreatsheetwhichPetersawletdownfromheaven。
Hecarriestheprincipleofrepublicanismthroughthewholeworldofcreatedobjects。Hewill\"threadathreadthrough[his]poems,\"hetellsus,\"thatnoonethingintheuniverseisinferiortoanotherthing。\"NomanhaseverassertedthesurpassingdignityandimportanceoftheAmericancitizensoboldlyandfreelyasMr。
Whitman。Hecallshimself\"teacheroftheunquenchablecreed,namely,egotism。\"Hebeginsoneofhischants,\"Icelebratemyself,\"
buthetakesusallinaspartnersinhisself—glorification。HebelievesinAmericaasthenewEden。
\"Aworldprimalagain,——vistasofgloryincessantandbranching,Anewracedominatingpreviousonesandgranderfar,Newpolitics——newliteratureandreligions——newinventionsandarts。\"
Ofthenewliteraturebehimselfhasfurnishedspecimenswhichcertainlyhavealltheoriginalityhecanclaimforthem。Sofarasegotismisconcerned,hewasclearlyanticipatedbythetitledpersonagetowhomIhavereferred,whosaysofhimself,\"IamthefirstintheEast,thefirstintheWest,andthegreatestphilosopherintheWesternworld。\"ButwhileMr。Whitmandivestshimselfofapartofhisbaptismalname,thedistinguishedNewEnglanderthusannounceshisproudposition:\"ImethefirstLordintheyounitedStatesofAmercaryNowofNewburyport。itisthevoiceofthepeopelandIcantHelpit。\"Thisextractisfromhisfamouslittlebookcalled\"APicklefortheKnowingOnes。\"AsaninventorofanewAmericanstylehegoesfarbeyondMr。Whitman,who,tobesure,careslittleforthedictionary,andmakeshisownrulesofrhythm,sofarasthereisanyrhythminhissentences。ButLordTimothyspellstosuithimself,andinplaceofemployingpunctuationasitiscommonlyused,printsaseparatepageofperiods,colons,semicolons,commas,notesofinterrogationandofadmiration,withwhichthereaderisrequestedto\"peperandsoolt\"thebookashepleases。
IamafraidthatMr。EmersonandMr。WhitmanmustyieldtheclaimofdeclaringAmericanliteraryindependencetoLordTimothyDexter,whonotonlytaughthiscountrymenthattheyneednotgototheHeralds\'
Collegetoauthenticatetheirtitlesofnobility,butalsothattheywereatperfectlibertytospelljustastheyliked,andtowritewithouttroublingthemselvesaboutstopsofanykind。InwritingwhatIsupposeheintendedforpoetry,hedidnoteventakethepainstobreakuphislinesintolengthstomakethemlooklikeverse,asmaybeseenbythefollowingspecimen:
WONDEROFWONDERS！
Howgreatthesoulis！Donotyouallwonderandadmiretoseeandbeholdandhear？Canyouallbelievehalfthetruth,andadmiretohearthewondershowgreatthesoulis——onlybehold——pastfindingout！Onlyseehowlargethesoulis！thatifamanisdrownedintheseawhatagreatbubblecomesupoutofthetopofthewater……Thebubbleisthesoul。
IconfessthatIamnotinsympathywithsomeofthemovementsthataccompanythemanifestationsofAmericansocialandliteraryindependence。IdonotliketheassumptionoftitlesofLordsandKnightsbyplaincitizensofacountrywhichpridesitselfonrecognizingsimplemanhoodandwomanhoodassufficientlyentitledtorespectwithouttheseunnecessaryadditions。Idonotlikeanybetterthefamiliar,andasitseemstomerude,wayofspeakingofourfellow—citizenswhoareentitledtothecommoncourtesiesofcivilizedsociety。IneverthoughtitdignifiedorevenproperforaPresidentoftheUnitedStatestocallhimself,ortobecalledbyothers,\"Frank\"Pierce。InthefirstplaceIhadtolookinabiographicaldictionarytofindoutwhetherhisbaptismalnamewasFranklin,orFrancis,orsimplyFrank,forIthinkchildrenaresometimeschristenedwiththisabbreviatedname。ButitistoomuchinthestyleofCowper\'sunpleasantacquaintance:
\"ThemanwhohailsyouTomorJack,AndprovesbythumpingonyourbackHowheesteemsyourmerit。\"
IshouldnotliketohearourpastchiefmagistratesspokenofasJackAdamsorJimMadison,anditwouldhavebeenonlyasapoliticalpartisanthatIshouldhavereconciledmyselfto\"Tom\"Jefferson。
So,inspiteof\"Ben\"Jonson,\"Tom\"Moore,and\"Jack\"Sheppard,I
prefertospeakofafellow—citizenalreadyvenerablebyhisyears,entitledtorespectbyusefulservicestohiscountry,andrecognizedbymanyastheprophetofanewpoeticaldispensation,withthecustomarytitleofadultsratherthanbythefreeandeasyschool—boyabbreviationwithwhichheintroducedhimselfmanyyearsagotothepublic。Asforhisrhapsodies,NumberSeven,our\"crackedTeacup,\"
saystheysoundtohimlike\"fuguesplayedonabigorganwhichhasbeenstruckbylightning。\"Sofarasconcernsliteraryindependence,ifweunderstandbythattermthegettingridofoursubjectiontoBritishcriticism,suchasitwasinthedayswhenthequestionwasasked,\"WhoreadsanAmericanbook？\"wemayconsideritprettywellestablished。Ifitmeansdispensingwithpunctuation,coiningwordsatwill,self—revelationunrestrainedbyasenseofwhatisdecorous,declamationsinwhicheverythingisglorifiedwithoutbeingidealized,\"poetry\"inwhichthereadermustmaketherhythmswhichthepoethasnotmadeforhim,thenIthinkwehadbettercontinueliterarycolonists。IshrinkfromalawlessindependencetowhichallthevirileenergyandtramplingaudacityofMr。Whitmanfailtoreconcileme。Butthereisroomforeverybodyandeverythinginourhugehemisphere。YoungAmericaislikeathree—year—oldcoltwithhissaddleandbridlejusttakenoff。Thefirstthinghewantstodoistoroll。Heisadrollobject,sprawlinginthegrasswithhisfourhoofsintheair;buthelikesit,anditwon\'tharmus。Solethimroll,——lethimrollOfallTheTeacupsaroundourtable,NumberFiveistheonewhoistheobjectofthegreatestinterest。Everybodywantstobeherfriend,andshehasroomenoughinherhospitablenaturetofindaplaceforeveryonewhoisworthyoftheprivilege。Thedifficultyisthatitissohardtobeherfriendwithoutbecomingherlover。I
havesaidbeforethatsheturnsthesubjectsofherCirce—likeenchantment,notintoswine,butintolambs。TheProfessorandI
moveroundamongherlambs,thedocileandamiableflockthatcomeandgoatherbidding,thatfollowherfootsteps,andarecontenttoliveinthesunshineofhersmileandwithinreachofthemusicofhervoice。Iliketogetherawayfromtheiramiablebleatings;I
lovetotalkwithheraboutlife,ofwhichshehasseenagreatdeal,forsheknowswhatitistobeanidolinsocietyandthecentreofhersocialcircle。Itmightbeaquestionwhetherwomenormenmostadmireandloveher。Withherownsexsheisalwayshelpful,sympathizing,tender,charitable,sharingtheirgriefsaswellastakingpartintheirpleasures。Withmenithasseemedtomakelittledifferencewhethertheywereyoungorold:allhavefoundherthesamesweet,generous,unaffectedcompanion;freshenoughinfeelingfortheyoungest,deepenoughinthewisdomoftheheartfortheoldest。Shedoesnotpretendtobeyouthful,nordoesshetroubleherselfthatshehasseentherosesofmoreJunesthanmanyof——theyoungerwomenwhogatherroundher。Shehasnothadtosay,CommejeregretteMonbrassidodu,forherarmhasneverlostitsroundness,andherfaceisoneofthosethatcannotbecheatedoftheircharmeveniftheylivelongenoughtolookuponthegrownupgrandchildrenoftheircoevals。
ItisawonderhowNumberFivecanfindthetimetobesomuchtosomanyfriendsofbothsexes,inspiteofthefactthatsheisoneofthemostinsatiableofreaders。Shenotonlyreads,butsheremembers;shenotonlyremembers,butsherecords,forherownuseandpleasure,andforthedelightandprofitofthosewhoareprivilegedtolookoverhernote—books。NumberFive,asIthinkI
havesaidbefore,hasnottheambitiontofigureasanauthoress。