Mrs. Pullens' exploits, with occasional attempts of Mrs. Jekyll to depreciate the merits of some of her discoveries. At length the hour of departure arrived, to Mary's great relief, as she thought any change must be for the better. Not so Grizzy, who was charmed and confounded by all she had seen, and heard, and tasted, and all of whose preconceived ideas on the subjects of washing, preserving, etc., had sustained a total bouleversement, upon hearing of the superior methods practised by Mrs. Pullens. 66 Well, certainly, Mary, you must allow Mrs. Pullens is an astonishing clever woman! Indeed, I think nobody can dispute it-only think of her never using a bit of soap in her house-everything is washed by steam. To be sure, as Mrs. Jekyll said, the table-linen was remarkably ill-colouredbut no wonder, considering-it must be a great saving, I'm sure—and she always stands and sees it done herself, for there's no trusting these things to servants. Once when she trusted it to them, they burned a dozen of Mr. Pullens' new shirts, just from carelessness, which I'm sure was very provoking. To be sure, as Mrs. Jekyll said, if she had used soap like other people, that wouldn't have happened; and then it is wonderful how well she contrives to keep things. I declare I can't think enough of these green peas that we had at dinner to-day, having been kept since summer was a year. To be sure, as Mrs. Jekyll said, they certainly were hard-nobody can deny that-but then, you know, anything would be hard, that had been kept since summer was a year; and I'm sure I thought they ate wonderfully well considering and these red currants, too--I'm afraid you didn't taste them-I wish to goodness you had tasted them, Mary. They were sour and dry, certainly, as Mrs. Jekyll said; but no wonder, anything would be sour and dry that had been kept in bottles for three years.' Grizzy was now obliged to change the current of her ideas, for the carriage had stopped at Mrs. Bluemits'. CHAPTER LXIV "It is certain great knowledge, if it be without vanity, is the most severe bridle of the tongue. For so have I heard, that all the noises and prating of the pool, the croaking of frogs and toads, is hushed and appeased upon the instant of bringing upon them the light of a candle or torch. Every beam of reason, and ray of knowledge, checks the dissolutions of the tongue." JEREMY TAYLOR. THEY were received by Mrs. Bluemits with that air of condescension which great souls practise towards ordinary mortals, and which is intended at one and the same time, to encourage and to repel; to shew the extent of their goodness, even while they make, or try to make, their protégée feel the immeasurable distance which nature or fortune has placed between them. It was with this air of patronising grandeur that Mrs. Bluemits took her guests by the hand, and introduced them to the circle of females already assembled. Mrs. Bluemits was not an avowed authoress but she was a professed critic, a well-informed. woman, a woman of great conversational powers, étc., and, to use her own phrase, nothing but conversation was spoke in her house. Her guests were therefore always expected to be distinguished, either for some literary production, or for their taste in the belles lettres. Two ladies from Scot land, the land of poetry and romance, were consequently hailed as new stars in Mrs. Bluemits' horizon. No sooner were they seated, than Mrs. Bluemits began "As I am a friend to ease in literary society, we shall, without ceremony, resume our conversation; for, as Seneca observes, the comfort of life depends upon conversation.' "I think," said Miss Graves, "it is Rochefoucauld who says, 'the great art of conversation is to hear patiently and answer precisely.'” "A very poor definition for so profound a philosopher," remarked Mrs. Apsley. The amiable author of what the gigantic Johnson styles the melancholy and angry Night Thoughts, gives a nobler, a more elevated, and, in my humble opinion, a juster explication of the intercourse of mind," said Miss Parkins: and she repeated the following lines with pompous enthusi asm : 666 Speech ventilates our intellectual fire, And rusted in, who might have borne an edge, Mrs. Bluemits proceeded ""Tis thought's exchange, which, like the alternate push Of waves conflicting, breaks the learned scum, "The sensitive poet of Olney, if I mistake not," said Mrs. Dalton, "steers a middle course, betwixt the somewhat bald maxim of the Parisian philosopher, and the mournful pruriency of the bard of Night, when he says, "Conversation, in its better part, May be esteem'd a gift, and not an art.'' Mary had been accustomed to read, and to reflect upon what she read, and to apply it to the purpose for which it is valuable, viz., in enlarging her mind and cultivating her taste; but she had never been accustomed to prate, or quote, or sit down for the express purpose of displaying her acquirements; and she began to tremble at hearing authors' names "familiar in their mouths as household words" ; but Grizzy, strong in ignorance, was nowise daunted. True, she heard what she could not comprehend, but she thought she would soon make things clear; and she therefore turned to her neighbour on her right hand, and accosted her with "My niece and I are just come from dining at Mrs. Pullens'-I daresay you have heard of her -she was Miss Flora Macfuss; her father, Dr. Macfuss, was a most excellent preacher, and she is a remarkable clever woman.' 66 Pray, ma'am, has she come out, or is she simply bel esprit?" inquired the lady. Grizzy was rather at a loss; and, indeed, to answer a question put in an unknown language, would puzzle wiser brains than hers; but Grizzy was accustomed to converse, without being able to comprehend, and she therefore went on. "Her mother, Mrs. Macfuss-but she is dead —was a very clever woman too; I'm sure, I declare, I don't know whether the Doctor or her |