ter in our condition during the last hundred
years. She mentioned in this connection Robert Browning, the benefit
of whose teaching was denied our ancestors of a hundred years ago.
She also mentioned hygienic bread as a contrast to the heavy,
indigestible masses of corn-meal concoctions and the hurtful richness
of pound-cake. Mrs. Jameson galloped with mild state all her little
hobbies for our delectation, and the time went on. We had sat
very long at dinner; it was later than we had planned when the
speechifying began. Mrs. Jameson did not seem to be in the least
aware of the flight of time as she peacefully proceeded; nor did she
see how we were all fidgeting. Still, nobody spoke to her; nobody
quite dared, and then we thought every sentence would be her last.

The upshot of it was that the Grover stage-coach arrived, and Mrs.
Sim White's brother, Elijah M. Mills, and Mrs. Lucy Beers Wright,
besides a number of others of lesser fame, were obliged to leave
without raising their voices, or lose their trains, which for such
busy people was not to be thought of. There was much subdued
indignation and discomfiture among us, and I dare say among the
guests themselves. Mrs. Lucy Beers Wright was particularly haughty,
even to Mrs. Sim White, who did her best to express her regret
without blaming Mrs. Jameson. As for Elijah M. Mills, Louisa said
she heard him say something which she would not repeat, when he was
putting on his hat. He is a fine speaker, and noted for the witty
stories which he tells; we felt that we had missed a great deal.
I must say, to do her justice, that Mrs. Jameson seemed somewhat
perturbed, and disposed to be conciliating when she bade the guests
good-by; she was even apologetic in her calmly superior way.

However, the guests had not been gone long before something happened
to put it all out of our minds for the time. The Rev. Henry P. Jacobs
had just stood up again, with a somewhat crestfallen air, to read his
poem--I suppose he was disappointed to lose the more important part
of his audience--when there was a little scream, and poor Harriet
Jameson was all in a blaze. She wore a white muslin dress, and
somehow it had caught--I suppose from a spark; she had been sitting
near the hearth, though we had thought the fire was out. Harry Liscom
made one spring for her when he saw what had happened; but he had not
been very near her, and a woman was before him. She caught up the
braided rug from the floor