ce, and Dr. Whewell came forward to receive us. Being announced
in this way, the other guests do not wait for an introduction. There was
a group of guests in the drawing-room, and those nearest me spoke to me
at once.

"Dinner was announced immediately, and Dr. Whewell escorted me
downstairs, across an immense hall, to the dining-room, outside of which
stood the waiters, six in number, arranged in a straight line, in
livery, of course. One of them had a scarlet vest, short clothes, and
drab coat.

"As I sat next to the master, I had a good deal of talk with him. He was
very severe upon Americans; he said that Emerson did not write good
English, and copied Carlyle! I thought his severity reached really to
discourtesy, and I think he perceived it when he asked me if I knew
Emerson personally, and I replied that I did, and that I valued my
acquaintance with him highly.

"I got a little chance to retort, by telling him that we had outgrown
Mrs. Hemans in America, and that we now read Mrs. Browning more. He
laughed at it, and said that Mrs. Browning's poetry was so coarse that
he could not tolerate it, and he was amused to hear that any people had
got above Mrs. Hemans; and he asked me if we had outgrown Homer! To
which I replied that they were not similar cases.

"Altogether, there was a tone of satire in Dr. Whewell's remarks which I
did not think amiable.

"There were, as there are very commonly in English society, some dresses
too low for my taste; and the wine-drinking was universal, so that I had
to make a special point of getting a glass of water, and was afraid I
might drink all there was on the table!

"Before the dessert came on, saucers were placed before each guest, and
a little rose-water dipped into them from a silver basin; then each
guest washed his face thoroughly, dipping his napkin into the saucer.
Professor Willis, who sat next to me, told me that this was a custom
peculiar to Cambridge, and dating from its earliest times.

"The finger bowls came on afterwards, as usual.

"It is customary for the lady of the house or the 'first lady' to turn
to her nearest neighbor at the close of dinner and say, 'Shall we retire
to the drawing-room?' Now, there was no lady of the house, and I was in
the position of first lady. They might have sat there for a thousand
years before I should have thought of it. I drew on my gloves when the
other ladies drew on theirs, and then we waited. Mrs. Airy saw the
dilemma,