"Mademoiselle Emily, my friend, Miss Lear, desires an introduction to
you; be seated, Miss Lear," and Clara took the chair on the other side;
the disappointment of Miss Lear, in not finding Louis, was visible, even
to my unpractised eye, and her tender enquiries of his mother regarding
his health etc., were amusing.
I saw her furtive glances at my plain toilette, and knew she thought me
a lowly wild flower on life's great meadow, a dandelion, unnecessary to
be included in a fashionable nosegay, and while these thoughts were
passing through my mind, Clara left us to ourselves, and, feeling in
duty bound to say something to me, she began:
"Mrs. Desmonde tells me your house is in the country; how sublime the
country is! You see sunrises and sunsets, do you not?"
"I hope I do," I replied. "There is great pleasure in watching nature."
"Oh! the country is so sublime, don't you think so?"
"Well that depends on your ideas of the sublime; I do not imagine
milking cows and butter-making would correspond with the general ideas
of sublimity."
"Oh!" and she tossed her befrizzled head in lofty disdain, "that is
perfectly horrid, I cannot see how human beings endure such things; oh!
dear, what a poor hand I should be at living under such circumstances."
"You would perhaps enjoy the general housework more, leaving the problem
of the dairy to another."
"Housework?--I--ah! I see you are unlearned--beg your pardon--in society
ways.
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