hind hand with her worthy lord every thing is perfect in her department: her diamonds are finer than the Duchess of R.'s; her flower garden is superior to White Knights; and Maria Antoinette, in her brightest of days, had not such a toilette. Following up this principle, the education of their children was to be equally complete: but where should they find that perfect creature who was to superintend that of their daughters? This was the question which occupied their minds one day when I called on Mrs. Grubly. "My dear Mrs. do you happen to know of a Governess?" exclaimed that lady as soon as I was seated, "I know nothing is so difficult to find. She must be a perfect lady, accustomed to the very best society, yet contented never to leave the school room. She must be au fait at, and know, every thing; she must be mistress of the harp and piano, speak every language, ancient and modern, and be a complete artist.” Mrs. Grubly here stopped for want of power to go on. "Nothing short of this will do," she continued, "but the thing is, where shall I find such a being? for you well know nothing but perfection will suit Mr. Grubly and myself." Nay, I confessed I thought it a hopeless case. my dear," she answered, "why should we despair, who are so fortunate in every other department?" In a short time I received a note from Mrs. Grubly, informing me of her good luck in having discovered exactly the person she wanted; nay, she was more than she required, and surpassed the catalogue of perfections before enumerated; was quite lovely in person, refined in manners, and, to crown all, had been recommended by the Countess of Now word: her Milton, in I happen to hate perfection, or rather what is in this world called so; and I therefore concluded that the charming Governess must have a thousand bad qualities to redeem so many good ones. With this impression I set out to see Mrs. Grubly and the paragon; but I soon confessed my error. Miss Foxton was lovely in the best sense of the beauty was not of feature, but of mind. describing the loveliness of Eve, dwells neither on form, feature, nor complexion; so should I have depicted Emily Foxton: it was grace, it was dignity, it was feeling. One forgot to look at the shape of her mouth, or to discover the colour of her eyes, for the beautiful smile of the one, and the expression of the other won our admiration: one felt she was beautiful, and became impressed with the truth of the remark, that "It is not a lip or eye we beauty call, Her manners and acquirements too were equal to her personal charms. "Is she not perfect?" cried Mrs. Grubly. "You see how fortunate I always am: my children adore her, that's the great point: even John, who cannot bear Governesses, says she is endurable; a great deal from him and then her principles, my dear madam!" Some months slipped away. I left the village, and on my return, after a long absence, found the scene changed. "Mrs. Grubly," said I on my first visit to that lady, "where is the amiable Miss Foxton ?" "Where is she? oh, the shocking creature, have you not heard? oh, you will never believe it!—John actually fell in love with her!" Now, as I happened to think this was the very best thing that could befall the said John; and, moreover, had no idea that he had soul enough to admire any thing so charming and so superior to himself, my countenance, I fancy, did not express all the horror Mrs. Grubly expected. "And what happened then?” "Oh, I pushed her off pretty soon, I promise you." "And where is she now?" "I am sure I do not know; but we are so unfortunate, and people are always imposing upon us!" Superlative in all things, my friend now thought it necessary to be supremely unlucky. An acquaintance of Mrs. Grubly's and of mine soon after related to me the real version of the story. John, the hopes of the Grubly family, was any thing but a promising youth; his appearance ignoble, his manners parvenu, and his education, despite of its being the best possible, had done nothing towards making him a gentleman. Yet the heir of all the Grublys was to accomplish a great marriage, with nothing to recommend him but wealth; his parents expecting him to bring them a bride at once noble, lovely, young, and amiable. All these qualities, with the exception of the first, Emily Foxton possessed; and though not so splendidly descended as to exempt her from the condition of the late revered sovereign of these realms, who would have been excluded from the court of Dresden, because he could not prove his sixteen quarterings, her family was infinitely superior to any thing the Grubly's could boast. Mrs. Grubly stormed when her son confided to her his wishes Mr. Grubly raved. Mr. John Grubly swore that nothing should interfere with him; that Mrs. John Grubly Miss Emily Foxton should be, and that no one should prevent it. Meantime he had forgotten one trifling circumstance, namely, to obtain the consent of the young lady. When she heard she had been the cause of such commotion, she was very much surprised, and begged to know on what grounds Mr. John Grubly founded his pretensions to her hand? His answer was a proposal of marriage; which, under the impression that he was sure of her consent, he had postponed making, as the last and least necessary part of the business. Miss Emily Foxton's simple and dignified rejection surprised her lover, and changed the tone of Mrs. Grubly's anger. What! refuse MY son? could she have the impu dence to do it? The rejection seemed yet a greater crime than the acceptance could have been. It is scarcely necessary to observe that Miss Foxton immediately returned to her own family; and, I am happy to add, was soon afterwards extremely well married, in the best sense of that hackneyed term ; whilst her rejected suitor, after proposing to every noble damsel under forty, has lately married his mother's housemaid. |