sprightly and graphic. She often sketches
a character, a national peculiarity, with a touch, while on the other
hand she does not shirk detail if only she can succeed in presenting a
vivid picture of all she is beholding to those dear ones at home who are
debarred from the same enjoyment. Carnarvon, Bangor, Etruria and
Leicester were visited on the way out. At Leicester Miss Edgeworth had
an amusing adventure:--

Handsome town, good shops. Walked, whilst dinner was getting ready,
to a circulating library. My father asked for _Belinda_, _Bulls_,
etc.: found they were in good repute; _Castle Rackrent_ in
better--the others often borrowed, but _Castle Rackrent_ often
bought. The bookseller, an open-hearted man, begged us to look at a
book of poems just published by a Leicester lady, a Miss Watts. I
recollected to have seen some years ago a specimen of this lady's
proposed translation of Tasso, which my father had highly admired.
He told the bookseller that we would pay our respects to Miss Watts
if it would be agreeable to her. When we had dined we set out with
our enthusiastic bookseller. We were shown by the light of a
lantern along a very narrow passage between high walls, to the
door of a decent-looking house: a maid-servant, candle in hand,
received us. "Be pleased, ladies, to walk up stairs." A neatish
room, nothing extraordinary in it except the inhabitants: Mrs.
Watts, a tall, black-eyed, prim, dragon-looking woman, in the
background; Miss Watts, a tall young lady in white, fresh color,
fair, thin, oval face, rather pretty. The moment Mrs. Edgeworth
entered, Miss Watts, taking her for the authoress, darted forward
with arms, long thin arms, outstretched to their, utmost swing.
"Oh, what an honor this is!" each word and syllable rising in tone
till the last reached a scream. Instead of embracing my mother, as
her first action threatened, she started back to the farthest end
of the room, which was not light enough to show her attitude
distinctly, but it seemed to be intended to express the receding of
awestruck admiration--stopped by the wall. Charlotte and I passed
by unnoticed, and seated ourselves, by the old lady's desire; she,
after many twistings of her wrists, elbows and neck, all of which
appeared to be dislocated, fixed herself in her arm-chair, resting
her han