e first place, all the bachelors had demanded that Mrs.
Harrison should be of the party, in which they were sustained by
Loewenberg, who, though partly naturalized by his marriage, still
considered himself sufficiently a stranger to be above all spirit of
clique. All the other married men had objected, but the Harrisonites
ultimately carried their point. Of the two principal opponents, Ludlow
was fairly talked off his feet by the voluble _patois_ of Loewenberg, and
Benson completely put down by the laconic and inflexible Sumner. So far
so bad, but worse was to follow; for after the horses had been ordered,
and most of the ladies, including the Robinsons, bonneted and shawled
for the start, the _lionne_, who had, doubtless, heard of the
unsuccessful attempt to blackball her, and wished to make a further
trial of her power, suddenly professed a headache, whereupon her
partisans almost unanimously declared that, as she couldn't go, they
didn't want to go; and thus the whole affair had fallen through. Such
was the substance of their melancholy intelligence, which they had
hardly finished communicating when a _dea ex machina_ appeared in the
person of Mrs. Benson. She declared that it was "a shame," and "too
bad," and she "had never," &c.; and brought her remarks to a practical
conclusion by vowing that _she_ would go, at any rate, whoever chose to
stay with that woman; "and if no one else goes with us I'm sure Mr.
Ashburner will:" at which Ashburner was fain to express his readiness to
follow her to the end of the world, if necessary. Then she followed up
her advantage by sending a message to Sumner, which took him captive
immediately; and as she was well seconded by the Robinsons, who on their
part had brought over Le Roi, the party was soon reorganized pretty much
on its original footing. When the cause of all the trouble found herself
likely to be left in a minority her headache vanished immediately, in
time for her to secure beaux enough to fill her barouche, and Mr.
Harrison was put into a carriage with the musicians. Mrs. Benson's
vehicle was equally well filled; and Harry, who, by his wife's orders,
and much against his own will, had lent his wagon and ponies to a young
Southerner that was doing the amiable to Miss Vanderlyn, had nothing
left for it but to go on horseback; in which Ashburner undertook to join
him, having heard that there was a good bit of turf on the road to the
glen.

"If you go that way," said Mrs.