company home. The 'Squire féconded the propòfal, and my wife ádded hér entreaties: the girls too looked upón me ás if they wifhed to gò. 'In this perplexity 'I made two or three excufes, which my daughters ás réadily removed; fò thát át láft I was obliged to give à péremptory refùfal: fór which wè hád nothing but fullen looks and fhórt ánswers the whole day enfuing.

The family endeavour to cope with their bétters. The miferies of the poor, when they attempt to appear above their circumftances.

‘1 nów began tó find thất all mỳ lỏng ánd painful léctures upón témperance, fimplícity, and contentment, were entirely difregárded. The diftinctions lately paid ús by our betters awaked that pride which 'I hád laid afleep, bút nót removed. 'Our windows agáin, ás fórmerly, were filled with washes for the neck and fàce. The fun was dreaded ás án énemy to the skín without doors, and the fire ás à fpoiler óf the complexion within. My wife obferved, thát rìling too early would hurt her daughter's eyes, thát working after dinner would rédden their nòfes, and The convinced me that their hands never looked fò white ás when they did nothing. Inftéad therefore of finifhing George's fhírts, wè nów hád them new módelling their old gauzes, ór flourishing upón cátgut n). The poor Mífs

n) to flourish upon catgut, mit der Nadel allerlei Figur n auf Flor anbringen.

Mils Flamboroughs, their former gay companions, were cáft óff as mean acquaintance, and the whole converfation rán upón hìgh life and high ved company, with pictures, tafte, Shake. peare, and the mufical glaffes.

But we could have borne áll this, hád nót fortune telling gipfey ) cóme to raise ús ínto perfect fublimity. The tawny fybil no fooner ppeared, thán nỳ girls came running to me r à fhilling à pièce to crófs hér hánd with lver. Tó fay the truth, I was tired of being ways wife, and could not help grátifying their equeft, because I loved to fee them happy. gave each of them à fhilling; though, for he honour of the family, ít muft bè obférved, that they never went without money themselves, my wife always génerously let them have à guinea each, to keep in their pockets: bút with rict injunctions never to change it. they had been, clófetted up with the fortuneteller fór fóme time, I knew by their looks, pn their returning, that they had been miled fomething great. ,,Well, my girls, ow have you fped? Tell me, Lívy, has the rtune teller given thee à pénny- worth?" ,,I I proteft, Papá," fays the girl,,,I be eve fhe deals with fóme bódy that's not rìght;

--

'After

0) Die Zigeuner (deren es in England noch viele giebt) and andere, die aus der Hand den Leuten wahrsagen, werden noch öfters, befonders von den jungen Mädchen wegen ihres Heirathsglücks, um Rath gefragt, so dafs Murats Gedanken von den Englischen Weibern: elles font curieufes de l'avenir, avides de prédictions et crédules" noch jetzt richtig find." Wendeborn, Theil 3. S. 384. Auch Herr Küttner (London und Paris, zter Band, S. 25.) redet von dem grossen Hange der Engländer zu Vorausfagereien. E

し

for the pfitively declared, that I am to he married to a 'Squire in lefs thán à twelve month?" Well, nów Sóphy, my child,“ faid I,,,and what fort óf à hufband áre you to have?" Sir," replied Chè, „,'I am to have à L'rd) foon after my fifter hás márried the "Squire.",,Hów," cried 'I,,,ís thát áll you áre to have for your two fhillings! Only à Lord and à 'Squire for two fhillings! You fools, I could have promifed you à prínce ánd à Nábob 4) fór hálf the money."

This curiofity of theirs, however, was at ténded with very fèrious effects: wè nów begán to think ourselves defigned by the ftárs to fomething exalted, and already anticipated óur fùture grandeur.

It has been à thóufand times obférved, ånd I múft obférve it once more, that the hours wè páls with happy prófpects in view, áre more pleafing thán thofe crowned with fruítion. In the firft cafe wè cook the dífh to our own appetite; ín the latter nature cooks it fór ús. 'It is impóffible to repeat the train of agreeable réveries wè called up for our entertainment. We looked upón óur fórtunes ás ónce mòre rìfing; ánd ás the whole párish afférted that the 'Squire wás ín love with mỳ daughter, fhe was actually fò with him; fór they perfuaded her into the paffion. agreeable interval, my wife had the most lúcky dreams in the world, which she took care to

'In this

་།

p) Lord, f. die Anmerkung zum folgenden Kapitel, q) Nabob, eigentlich die Benennung der Indischen Füs ften; in England giebt man diefen Namen auch zu. sweilen den Bedienten der Oftindifchen Compagnie, die fich in Oftindien grosse Reichthümer erworben haben.

téll ús évery morning, with great folemnity ánd exáctnefs. 'It was one night à cóffin ánd crófs bònes ); the fign of an approaching wedding: át another time fhè imagined hér daughter's pockets filled with farthings s), à certain fign of their being fhórtly ftuffed with gold. The girls themfélves hád their òmens. They felt ftrange kiffes on their lips; they faw rings in the candle, púrfes bounced fróm the fire t), and true love-knóts lúrked in the bottom of every tea - cúp u).

Towards the end of the week we received à cárd from the town ladies; in which, with their compliments, they hoped to fee áll our family át chúrch the Sunday following.

'All

Saturday morning I could perceive, ín cónfequence of this, my wife and daughters in clofe conference together, and nów and then glancing at me with looks that betrayed à latent plót. Tó bè fincère, I hád strong fufpicions that fóme abfúrd propofal was preparing for appearing with fplendor the next day. In the evening

r) Glück verkündigende Gegenstände, nach dem gewöhne

lichen Wahn.

s) farthing, die kleinfte Englische Münze, etwa zwei Pfennige im Preufs. Gelde (S. oben S. 4.).

t) Die Steinkohlen, die gewöhnliche Feurung der Eng länder, werfen, wenn fie brennen, oft kleine hohle Kügelchen ans, die man purfes nennt, und die von gemeinen Mann als Reichthum verkündigende Zeichen angefehen werden.

u) Bekanntlich sucht der gemeine Mann bei uns aus dem Bodenfatze des Koffees die Zukunft zu erforschen; viel leicht treibt in England der Aberglaube ein ähnliches Spiel mit den auf dem Grunde einer Taffe zufällig befindlichen Theeblätter,

66

they began their operations ín à véry régular mánner, and my wife undertook to conduct the fiège. After tèa, when I feèmed in fpírits, fhe begán thús. ,,'I fáncy, Charles, my dear, wè fháll have a great deal of good company át our church tó- mórrow.“ ,,Perhaps wè mày, mỳ dear, retúrned I,,,though you need be under nò unèafiness about that, you fháll have à férmon whether there bè or nót. ,,Thát is what I expect," returned fhe,,,bút I think, my dear, we ought to appear there ás dècently ás póffible, fór who knows what may happen?" ,,Your precautions," replied I,,,áre highly commendable. 'A dècent behaviour and appearance ín church is what charms mè. We fhould be devout, ánd humble, chèarful and ferène." ,,Yės," crìed fhè, „I know thát, bút 'I mean wè fhould go there ín ás proper à mánner ás póffible; nót altogether like the ferúbs about ús.,,You áre quite right, my dear," returned 'I, „ánd I was going to make the very fame propòfal. The proper manner of going ís, to go there ás early ás póffible, to have time for meditation before the férvice begins." -,,Phroo, Charles," interrupted fhè, ,,áll thát ís véry true, but not what I would be át. I mean, we fhould go there genteely. You know the church ís. two miles off, and I protéft 'I don't like to fee my daughters trudging up to their pew all blówzed and red with walking, and looking fór all the world ás if they had been winners át à fmóck race x). Nów, my dear, my pro

.

x) fmock race. Bei Feften auf den Dörfern laufen oft Perfonen des andern Gefchlechts um die Wette; der Preis der Siegerinn ist ein Hemde.