this supervision.
Unfortunately, you have no sisters. But never be offended if a woman rally
you. Encourage her. Otherwise, you will never be free from your
awkwardness, or any little oddities, and certainly never learn to dress.

You ride pretty well, but you had better go through the manege. Every
gentleman should be a perfect cavalier.

As you are to be at home for so short a time, and for other reasons, I
think it better that you should not have a tutor in the house. Parcel out
your morning, then, for your separate masters. Rise early and regularly,
and read for three hours. Read the Memoirs of the Cardinal de Retz--the
Life of Richelieu--everything about Napoleon,--read works of that kind.
Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.
Then fence. Talk an hour with your French master, but do not throw the
burden of the conversation upon him. Give him an account of something.
Describe to him the events of yesterday, or give him a detailed account of
the constitution. You will have then sufficiently rested yourself for your
dancing. And after that ride and amuse yourself as much as you can.
Amusement to an observing mind is study.

I pursued the system which my father had pointed out, with exactness, and
soon with pleasure. I sacredly observed my hours of reading, and devoted
myself to the study of the lives of what my father considered really great
men--that is to say, men of great energies, and violent volition, who look
upon their fellow creatures as mere tools, with which they can build up a
pedestal for their solitary statue, and who sacrifice every feeling which
should sway humanity, and every high work which genius should really
achieve, to the short-sighted gratification of an irrational and
outrageous selfism. As for my manners, I flattered myself that they
advanced in measure with my mind, although I already emulated Napoleon. I
soon overcame the fear which attended my first experiments in society, and
by scrupulously observing the paternal maxims, I soon became very
self-satisfied. I listened to men with a delightful mixture of defference
and self-confidence: were they old, and did I differ with them, I
contented myself by positively stating my opinion in a most subdued voice,
and then either turning the subject, or turning upon my heel. But as for
women, it is astonishing how well I got on. The nervous rapidity of my
first rattle soon subsided into a continuous flow of easy non