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REMINISCENCES OF THE VENERABLE MOTHER.

[Continued from page 251.]

A FORTNIGHT or more had passed away, and I had not seen the venerable mother. I had been told that she had not been well, and again that she was better; at length came the much desired summons to attend her, in the form of a little billet written in a small yet still elegant hand.

I was already become much attached to her, and therefore I received the invitation most gladly, and waited upon her at the appointed hour with Mrs. Selby as my companion; but it was not till after tea, that she entered upon the subject which is to fill the present sheets; it always required some little address to draw her out-for she is by no means one of those fatiguing old persons who are never easy in society, unless they are themselves holding forth without reference to times or seasons, or the feelings of their auditors.

I began the discourse by referring to the lovely Lucelle Barnevelte-remarking how much I had been affected by the history of that fair young lady. 'It will not do, my dear Madam,' replied Mrs.

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Latifear, to be always dwelling -I will not say on the gloomy side-but upon the pathetic side of life-to young persons who have as yet never

felt deeply-or with whom the power (attending upon their time of life) of quickly throwing off any painfully exciting feeling, still remains - there is not so much danger in dwelling upon that which touches deeply-but with me and with you, comparatively young as you are, who have suffered deeply, possessing as we do the blessed assurance that all is right as it regards the future-we must rub on as easily as we can through the short remaining term of our pilgrimage-and when we feel, (which I happen to do just now), that we dare not touch upon the pathetic, we must turn to other matters; though ever watching, (as I trust the spirit within us will do for us), that we never turn for relief to that which is unholy.'

There was truth and wisdom in this remark, yet I felt somewhat at a loss how to reply. Mrs. Selby, however, seeing my embarrassment, lost no time in relieving me, by asking her mother if she could recollect her adventure with the Miss Sockets, a story which she had often heard her relate with much pleasure. The old lady smiled and replied, 'it is but a story my dear, of very common life-a tale of such things as that happen every day-not containing one extraordinary incident; but you shall have it, and I promise that the feelings of this dear lady here will not be too painfully excited by the relation.

'It was several years after the death of my ever lamented Lucelle-when time had softened my regrets, and other objects had intervened to withdraw my serious attention from what my lovely one had taught me-(for it must be observed that there was not one person then left in the family who could, had they wished it, have carried on the work with me which

she had commenced,) that being one morning in the parlour, at school hours, practising my music on an old harpsichord, which at that time, was thought a very superior instrument, a lady was introduced, who appeared to me, to be a person of vast consequence. She seemed to be about forty-she was tall and plump, her features and complexion, however, being somewhat too full blown-she wore an Indian chintz gown and petticoat, lined with green persian, and a fly cap, over which was fastened a flat chip hat, set off with puffs and bows of apple green ribband -she wore a hoop of course, as every body did at that time and such ruffles as we now only see in old pictures; and she entered with a storm, taking the principal seat in the room, at the same time directing the servant to say that Mrs. Socket desired to speak with Mrs. Latifear. I had jumped up from my seat as soon as I saw this great lady, and stood dropping a curtesy every time she looked my way, but she took no further notice of me than to say, don't let me disturb you, Miss-Now I perfectly knew who this Mrs. Socket was, though I had not recognized her when she had entered, because I had never been in a room with her before but I had seen her often at church, she being the only person in the church who had a large square pew lined with scarlet cloth, and Mr. Socket was the only man in the town, whose house had a court and iron gates, and palisades before it, and who kept a coach and pair and two men-servants. Moreover, I knew that he had been the mayor of the town, and was to take the office again; and that he was fat, and grave, and well-dressed, and that my aunts thought it a great compliment when he bowed to them, if perchance he met them going out of church:

but what had interested me most in this family was, that there were three daughters, of whom the youngest might be nearly my own age, and the eldest, perhaps about fifteen. Our large family sate in the gallery at church, and the pew belonging to Mr. Socket was so situated that we could see all that passed therein. Hence we knew every change of dress of the young ladies, and some of us were very much cut up when they appeared in a new slip-for at that time young ladies wore silk and satin slips, with gauze or muslin aprons; and there was not a season in which the Miss Sockets did not display a new silk, of a suitable colour. When my eldest aunt appeared at the summons of Mrs. Socket, I saw that she had changed her head-dress; and I observed that there was a little hectic spot on her cheek-bone, a symptom which always appeared in the old lady, when called into the presence of superior persons. After her first reverence to the lady, she gave me a look which I understood, that I was to disappear; and a long conference ensued, the upshot of which was conveyed in a whispering important tone, (for my aunts always spoke low when they spoke of the great,) first to my second aunt, then to the teachers, and finally to the pupils; and the grand secret was this, that Mrs. Socket had actually come herself to do Miss Latifears the favour of asking them to permit the Miss Sockets to come on dancing days, to practise with the young ladies. Had I been left to my own thoughts, I should have probably thought but little about the matter: but when I found that my aupts considered this advance to intimacy made by the great Mrs. Socket, (though by-the-bye, she made it for her own convenience) as an affair of vast importance; how was I to view it in an

other light? and accordingly I resolved when the next dancing day came to do all in my power to obtain the favour of the Miss Sockets. The room we used for

dancing, at that time, was that which we now use for our dining-room-a noble room, as you know, with its Gothic windows and lofty cieling; and it used, on a Friday evening, (which was our public dancing-day, for we had also our private dancing-day every week) -to be lighted up; and we were as full dressed as we could be; and the parents came, and some young gentlemen-boys, I should say, from a school in the neighbourhood: and it was a sort of gala day to us all.'

In this place, I could not refrain from asking Mrs. Latifear whether she approved of this arrangement, of admitting boys to dance with girls?

'Dear Madam,' she replied, the custom is not now carried on in this house, and decidedly would not answer in the present state of society. Wha may be well enough in one age, would be most misIchievous in another; not that human nature ever changes, but because people's opinions change, and what might have passed without injury, in a state of society in which there was much subordination and respect to elders, would lead to intolerable license, where that subordination is despised. Another remark I must make, that the style of dancing in my time, was far more correct and dignified than it is at present, now that the ancient graceful minuet is exchanged for the waltz, I think that vastly more care should be taken in selecting the partner. But, after all, I am, through the divine mercy, come to that state of mind in which I can see all the forms and ordinances of society in no other light than legal

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