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LLP BRA TO Bw

Brown’s Day with the Mimp- son’s.

BY N. P. WILLIS.

“« Our virtues Lie in the interpretation of the time.”

[coxcLUDED.]

«By Miss Bellamy’s account, my ad- vent that day was looked upon by Mrs, Mimpson as an enraging calamity. Mrs. Mimpson was, herself, fourth cousin toa Scotch lord, and the plague of her jife was the drawback to the gentility of her parties in Mimpson’s mercantile ac- quintance. She had married the little man for his money, and had thought, by living out of town, to choose her own so- ciety, with her hesband for her only in- combrance; but Munpson vowed that he should be ruined in Mark’s Lane, if he did not house and dine his mercantile fra- temity and their envoys at Rose Lodge, and they had at Jast compromised the matter. No Yankee clerk, or German agent, or person of any description, de- filled by trade, was to be invited to tie Lodge without a three day’s premonition to Mra. Mimpson, and no additions were to bemade whatever by Mr. M. to Mrs. M's. dinners, soirees, matinees, archery parties, suppers, dejeuners, tableaux or | private theatricals. ‘This holy treaty, | fs. Mimpson presumed, was written | ‘with a gad of steel ona leaf of brass’— inviolable as her cousin’s coat of arms.

“Butthere was still * Ossa on Pelion.’ | The dinner of that day had a diplomatic | tim, Miss Mimpson, (whomI had. not Yet seen) was ready to ‘come out,’ and her mother had embarked her whole sou! ix the enterprise of bringing about that debut at Aimack’s. Her best card was a certain. Lady & , who chanced to be paring a few days in the neighdour- hood, and this dinner was in her honor ;— the company chosen to impress her with the exclusiveness of the Mimpson’s, and lue prayer for her ladyship’s influence (to procure vouchers from one of the patron- e383) was to be made, when she was directed to their request.’ And all had hitherio worked to acharm. Lady S had accepted,_Ude had sent his best cook from Crockford’s—the Belgian Curge and a Swedish Attache were com- ‘ng—the day waa beautiful, and the Lodge Was sitting for its picture, and on every morning, when every chair at

the table was ticketed and devoted, what |

should Mr. Mimpson do, but send back a *pecial messenger from the city, to say (hat he had forgotten to mention to Mrs. M. at breakfast, that he had invited a Mr. Brown! Of course he had forgollen it, though it would have been as much as his eyes Were worth townention itin person to Mrs. Mimpsen. : , Po this infurmation, which came to ‘ightin the course. of rather.a desultary Conversation, Miss Bellamy thought I had ‘ome title, from the rudeness of my re- ception. It was given to me in the shape of very clever banter, it is true, but she Was evidently interested to set me right with regard to Mr. Mimpson’s good inten- tions in my behalf, and, ag far as that. and her own civilities would do it, to apologize ‘for the inhospitelity of Rose Lodge. Very kind of the girl—for I was passing, recollect,at a most ha’penny valuation. _ “Thad made some éasual remark touch- ‘ng the absurdity of Almack’s aspirations ‘0 general, and Mrs. Mimpson’s in parti- cular; and my fair friend, who of course fancied an Almack’s ticket as much out of Mr. Brown’s reach as the horn of the €W moon, took up the defence of Mrs, Mimpson on that point, and undertook to dazzle my unatutored imagination by a picture of this seventh heaven—as she had heard it described, for to herself, she freely confessed, it was not even witbin the limits of dregmland. I knew this was true of herself, and thousands of highly educated and charm-

ing girls in England, but still, ‘ooking at |

a ee a

“This is true Liberty, when

>|

q ‘ 4 és’ ’ ' . ; 2 & = 2

AND GENERAL INTELLIGENCER.

CH

—

determined, if possible, to let Miss Bell- society—I wonder whether

amy judge of its color with the same ad- vantage.—TIt is not often that a plebeian like inyself has the authority to

*« Bid the pebbles on theh . Fillip the stars.’ ungry beach

“We were near the open window of

the library, and I stept in and wrote a note to Lady ,one of the lady pa- trenesses, and the kindest friend I have in England, asking for tbree vouchers for the next ball. I had had occasion once or twice before to apply for similar fa-

vours, for country women of wy own, pass- |

ing through London on their travels, and I knew that her ladyship thought no more of granting them than of returning bows in Hyde Park. I did not name the ladies for whom the three tickets were intended, wishing to reserve the privilege of hand- ing one to Miss Mitmpson, should she turn out civil and presentable. ‘The third, ef course, was for Miss Bellamy’s chape- ron, whoever that might be, and the par- ty might be extended to a quartette by the ‘Monsieur De Trop’ of the hour—cela ecion. Quite a dramatic plot—was’nt it ?

“T knew that Lady was not very well, and would be found at home by the messenger, (my post-boy,) and there was time enough between soup and coffee to goto London and back, even without the spur in bis pocket. ;

“The bell rang, and Miss Bellamy took herself off to dress.. | went to my

ARLOTTETOWN, P

} ! |

; |

!

|

il nee

|

| agreeable society.’

ee ee

ened

they take these rubs to be part of their polishing! “The ladies rose and Jeft us, and as IJ had no more occasion to dodge heads or trouble myself with humility, [ took ‘La- dy S——’s place at old Mimpson’s right hand, and was immediately recognised with great empressment by the Belzian Charge, who had met me ‘very often, in Mimpson stared, and evidently took it for a bit of flummery or a mistake, but he presently stared again, for the butler came tn with a coronetted note on his silver tray, the seal side up, and presented it to me with a most defe- rential bend of his white waistcoat. I felt the vouchers within, and pocketed Jit without opening, and we soon after rose and went to the drawing room for coffee. “ Lady S—— sat with her back to the door, beseiged by Mrs. Mimpson; and at the piano, beside Miss Bellamy, who was preparing to play, stood one of the loveli- est young creatures. possible to fancy. A pale and high-bred looking lady im widow’s weeds sat near them, and | had

free-born men, having to advise the Public, may

. EK. ISLAND, JANUAR

RY 26, 1850.

cation, Miss Mimpson blushed and twisted her handkerchief, and Miss Bell- amy looked at her hostess half amused and half-distressed.

“1 handed the three vouchers to Miss Bellamy, and begged her acceptance of them, and then turning to Lady S——, without waiting fora reply, regretted that, not having had the pleasure of being pre- sented to Miss Mimpson, [ had not felt authorized to include her in my effort to oblige Miss Bellamy.

* And what with old Mimpson’s aston- ishment, and Lady S ’s immediate tact in covering, by the bustle of depar- ture, what she could not quite understand, thongh she knew. it was some awkward con- tre tempts or other, I found time to receive Miss Bellamy’s thanks, and get permis- sion from the mother to call and arrange this unexpected party, and in ten mi- nutes | wason my way to London with La- dy 8 , amusing her almost jnto fits

} }

with my explanations of the Mimpson mystery. “ Lady S—-— was to be still at Hamp-

no difliculty in making out who were the | stead for a few days, and, at. my request,

two after-dinner additions to. the party. I

joined them, and was immediately intro-

duced by Miss Bellamy to her mother and

by thesisters) I strolled out upon the lawn

for an hour—for it was a clear night, and the moon and soft air almost took me back | to Italy. And (perhaps by a hint from Miss

Bellamy) [ was alowed to get on very

carpet bag in the bachelor quarters of the | expeditiously in my acquaintance with

| honse, and by a discreet entretien with

the maid who brought me het water, be- came somewhat informed as to my fair

friend’s position in the family. She was |

the daughter of a gentleman who had seen better days. ‘They lived ina retir- ed cattage in the neighbourhood, and as Miss Bellamy and a. younger sister were both very highly accomplished, they were usually asked to the Lodge, whenever there was company io be entertained with their music.

‘«T was early in the drawing-room, and found there Mrs. Mimpson and a tall dragoon of a young lady I presumed to be her daughter. She did not introduce me. I had hardly achieved my salutatory sal- aam when Miss Bellamy came in oppor- tunely, and'took me off their hands, and as they addressed no Conversation to. us,

| her mother and sister.

“ My new friend returned to the draw- ing-room, and as the adjoining library was lighted, I went and filled up the blank vouchers with the names of Mrs. Bellemy and her daughters. I listened a moment tothe conversation in the next room. The subject was Almack’s, and it was discussed with great animation, La- dy S——, who seemed to me trying to

escape the trap that they had baited for

her, was quietly setting forth the difficul- ties of procuring vouchers, and recom- mending to Mrs. Mimpson not to subject herself to the mortification of a refusal. Old Mimpson backed up this advice with a stout approval, and thus brought Mrs. Mimpson out ‘horse and foot, and she declared that she would submit to any thing, do any thing, give any thing, rather

we turned over music, and chatted in the | than fail in this darling object of ambi-

corner while the people came in, twilight in the reception room, and I hoped by getting on the.same side of the table with Lady S-——, (whom f had the honour of knowing,) to escape recogniz- ance till we joined the ladies in the draw- ing-room after dinner. As the guests arrived, they were formally introduced to Miss Mimpsen by the mother, . and every body but myself was formally pre- sented to Lady S——, the exception not noticeble, of course, among thirty peo- ple. Mr. Mimpson came late from the city, possibly anxious to avoid a skirmish on the subject of his friend Brown, he en- tered the room barely in time to hand

Lady S in to dinner.

It was | tion.

|

| } ' '

! ‘

“ My tactics were ably seconded by my |

unconscious ally.

I placed myself in|

such a position at table, that, by a little | — ; management, I kept Miss Bellamy’s head’) thinks the vouchers great rubbish, and

between me aud Lady S was not so remarkable as to draw atten-

tion when called on to take wine with the peccant spouse of the Scotch lord’s cou- sin. entertained —Miss Bellamy not having

at all the fear of Mrs. Mimpson before |

and my name.! gives

|

Meantime I was very charmingly., ——-:

| j j

her eyes, and apparently finding the Yan- |

kee supercargo, or cotton clerk, or what- |

ever he might be, quite worth trying her hand upon. The provender was good, and the wine was enough to verify the anverypha—at Jeast for the night,—‘a man remembering neither sorrow nordebv’ with such glorious claret.

« Ag I was vis-a-vis to Miss Mimpson, |

and only tivo plates removed from her mother, # was within reach of some syll- able ar some.-civilily, and one would have thought that good breeding might exact some slight notice for the devil himself, under one’s own roof of invitation; but

her while she spoke, and seeing what an | the eyes of Miss Aurelia and. her mamma ornament she would be to any ball-room | passed over me as if I had on the invisi-

in the world, L realized, with more repug- yance than i have ever felt before,the ar- ebitrary barriers of fashion and aristocracy.

Ag accident had placed me in a position | ; ee . to ‘Jeok ou the reverse of the shield, l i varnish of a tal acquired in forcign i fivor, the picture of dismay and mortifi-

tle ring of Gyges. I wonder, by the way, whether the ambitions youths who go to London and Paris with samples,

and come back and sport ‘the complete | Mrs-

|

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} |

j i

She would feel under eternal, in- expressible obligations to any friend who would procure for herself and her daught- er admission for but one night at Al- mack’s.

“ And then came in the sweet voice of Miss Bellamy, who ‘knew it was both wrong and silly, but she would give ten years of her life to go to one of Almack’s balls, and ina loag-conversation she had had with Mr, Brown on the subject that morning’--

«¢ Ah! interrupted Lady S ,*ifit had been the Mr. Brown, you would have had very little trouble about it.’

«¢ And who is the Mr. Brown?’ asked

| Mrs. Mimpson.

“ ‘The pet and protege of the only la-

dy patroness I do not visit, said Lady S| , and unluckily too, the only one who |

them away without thought or scruple.’

+ At that moment I entered the room.

“*Good heavens! screamed Lady $8 . ‘is that his ghost? Why, Mr Brown!’ she gasped giving me her land very cautiously, ‘do you appear when you are talked of, like-=like---like--’

“‘Vike the devil? No! But f am here in body, and very much at your la- dyship’s service, said}, ‘ for of course you are going to the duke’s to-night, and so aml. Will you take me with you, or shall my po-chay follow where If belong-- in your train?

“<'l] take you, of course,’ said her la- dyship, rising-—‘ but first aboutthese vou-

| chers. You have just come, and did’nt

hear our discussion.

Mrs. Mimpson is

extremely anxions that her daughter should come out at Almack’s, and I happen-

: ;

| ed to say, the moment before you euter- ed, that you were the very person to pro- cure the tickets from Lady S——. very odd that you should come in just |

/ then! But tell us—can you?’ “ 4 dead silence followed the question. |

How

Mimpson sat with her eyes on the

|

sister, and with whom (aftera brilliant duet | of the new st

tle are ec

: ; ; i

she called with me on the Bellamy’s, and invited the girlsup to town. Rose Bel- amy, the younger, is at this moment one ars of the season according- ly, and Miss Bellamy and I carry on the war weekly at Almack’s, and nightly at some wax-light Paradise or other, and Lady S has fallen in love with them both, and treats ‘them like daugh- ters.

«So you see, though I passed for a ha’- penny with the Mimpsons, [ turned out a sovereign to the Bellamys.

“ Pass the bottle !”

ae 2a

cn

Yur Newspaper Press.—Nor while speaking of the sclioolmasters, in whose hands the printing-press is such a power- ful agent of public instruction at the present time, must we forget newspapers. Whether we regard-them as the guide or echo of popular opinion, and in some sort, they partake of beth characters, we are lost in amazement and admiration at the quantity and quality of mind, and that of the highest order, now to be found in the columns of the daily, weekly, and provin- cial press, From being a mere chronicle of passing events, a dry register of dates and facts, the newspaper has grown into oné of the leading schoolmasters of the day. Its articles amuse us with their wit, and instruct us with their wisdom. They exhibit the brilliancy ofthe classic scholar,

and the close reasoning of the lo- gician, It isan encyclopedia in itself.

It reviews all books, and treats of all science, it is familiar with all geography, and at home in all history. It 1s Gidipus to read the riddles which every political Sphinx may set before it. It dives into cabinet secrets, and anticipates the pur- poses of statesmen. It has the hundred eyes of the ever wakeful Argus, the hun- dred bands and fifty heads of Briareus. And, as omnipresent as omniscient, as ubiquitous as verastile, it is here, there, and everywhere, from Indus to the Po, from China to Peru, compassing the world with its correspondents, and, with its ex- presses and the electric telegraph, racing against time to communicate its intelli- gence of mankind in every region of the earth. The ancients counted up seven wonders of the world. Ifthey had possess- ed a newspaper press, they would have had eight, more matvellous and more wortiiy than all the rest together.— Speech of Rev. James Aspinall on Education.

DisseminaTION OF LITERATURE 1N Lonpon—lIf the march of intellect be not rapid, it is not for want of schools and teachers. Private academies for both sexes number 851, district and parochial

speak frees’—Miroy'’s Evnipipes.

' twelve.

_—_—_———

[ VoL, L—No. 3.

2 a

hands of the reader through the agency of one of 235 newsvenders,— Daily /Vews.

Too Bapv.—Mr. Dotwood, in his “ Hints to Young Mothers,” recommends patience and care in teaching boy babies to fee] their “ footies.”—He says for the sake of seeing them tootle, they are put upon the floor too soon, which has a ten- dency to furnish them with an everlasting pair of peranthetical shanks, “It isnot of so much consequence about the girls”

A Tarwre Pux.—Miss Edgeworth was one evening busy writing beside her father, when a servant brouglit in the tea equipage. The authoress measured the dae spoonfulls into a china cup, then turn- ed on the boiling water into the: teapot, fet it stand the time for infusion ; put into other cups their cream and sugar, pouring thereon—-what? In herliterary abstrac- tion she omitted to put in the hyson, 80 that. the draught she now offered her parent was very milk-and-waterish indeed. ‘Were you writing on Irish bulls that you made such a blunder, Maria ?’ asked the sire. |‘ No, papa, returned his witty girl, ‘’twas Irish .2bsen-tea-ism.”

Grrus po you HEAR Tuat.—Judge Eldred of Pennsylvania.has decided in court, that, listening at a keyhole, though against ail etiquette, good manners and the clearest maxims of common law, m @ man, is perfectly legal and justifiable in any individual of the gentle sex, owing to the amiable weakness of curiosity which nature has implanted in female bosoms. Weare rejoiced that this point is settled at last. The Judge deserves a “ piece of plate” from the ladies in the shape of a gigantic keyhole as bigasthe = ear of Dionysius. = @

True Marriacr Vow.—Perhaps there is scarcely an ordinary oath administened in any of the transactions of life so litle regarded—-even so little remembered by alt

classes, as that taken .in the most solemn manner, and in the proeence of the

Almighty, by the husband and wiig, “ Love, honour, and obey.” How many wives, “love, honour, and obey” their lords? How many even think of doing so? And yet there is an oath recorded against them, every simple violation of which is a distinct perjury.

Ovt oF rue FuLuNess oF THE HEART, &c.—A Cumberland shoolmaster weary and worn with the labours of the week, sat himself down, a few Saturday nights ago, to a quiet game at. cards, and stuck at the amusement tiil the clock struck On the following morning he went to church—and then went asiecep. In the middle of the sermon, the congre- gation were startled by a loud thump in the pedagogue’s pew, and a louder cry of “spades is trumps, and I’ll stand.” ‘The: parson came to a stand. His hearers se tittered. "The “ miserable sinner” woke Ts up; and encountering wicked glances on q every side, would ‘gladly have vanished” through the roof or sunk through .the, floor.

rege A

aes

os How Mr, Jones Far.ep.--Some men) — fail so frequently, that it may almost be, — said of them that they do “ nothing else.”__— We wislr they would all foilow the ex: ample of Mr. Jones. Fy ‘here once lived, in the city of Bostomy” " a certain Mr. Jones. ‘Lhis same Mt Jones was an eccentric man-—very muca- so; and among his many other pectl ities was that of failing in business in every two years. Some people now days have the same extraordinary ag Mr. Jones always paid his creditors fifty percent. A very dignified and pompous man.was Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones failed again--made an assignment of bis effects as usuak and was very much surprised when his assignee said to him-~ © 4. <1 “Mr, Jones, we shal! declare # 4”!

schools 129, British and Foreign 62, Na- | end of forty per cent.” Signi

tional 7, and collegiate institutions for | “Sir,” said Mr. Jones, in av a

granting degrees 50. The teachers of | fied manner, * you must snake it ie r,

dancing amount to 55, a aoe 38, | I always pay fifty cents op

elocution 4, Janguages 54, mathematics 9, | S!!- es ; :

music 251, cael and writing 18. | “Tt can’t be fo saic the ie

Literature is dianemninated by 7 print- ine — pt . Dra! ns .

ers. 760 publishers and booksellers; and [: V4ting ais ig in oo .

books are preserved and beautiful by the | * We have not enough propery. (- . skill of 281 bookbinders—to all of whom , hands to do at,” said the as3} ‘afty pet . | and toe the entire writing community, Ina- | *Sir,”said Mr. Jones, “d Taide

terials are supplied by 620. stationers.— | cent.—-I always pay tifty per a

Lastly, this newspaper will pass into the! sir, it you have not sufigieDt propel’. A