sed from air, earth, and water it
was determined that a fine summer's day after a reviving shower, would
afford ample regale for a breakfast, which was to begin, like all
fashionable ones, late in the afternoon, that the genteel flowers might
be awake. Mrs. Honeysuckle first proposed giving one, but her husband
was a Dutchman, and would not agree to the bustle and expense, and not
choosing the risk of separation she for once yielded, and Mrs. Rose,
being in high beauty, determined to send out her fragrance to invite the
company, provided she could procure the consent of Mr. Pluto Rose;
indeed, he never interfered with the pursuits of his wife; he only
declared he should not appear, and as he was a very dark-looking rose
without any sweet she was delighted at this declaration, but, though
much admired in her own little circle, she was unknown in the great
World, and she was sensible that unless some of the leaders of the _Ton_
were present her breakfast would be regarded with contempt; she
therefore consulted two of her friends, Lady Acacia and Mrs. Larch, and
got Mr. Plane from the east to secure the attendance of his party.

Lady Acacia had just got her niece Robina from America, whom she was
very solicitous to have properly introduced, having kept very
indifferent company in her own country, and being handsome, she aspired
to settling her well. She, of course, aided all in her power to promote
Mrs. Rose's scheme, and, by being in a higher circle, offered to get all
the Forest Trees to attend except Lord Oak; but she knew he never
condescended to go to such meetings. Mrs. Larch, from her connections,
promised her influence with all the Cedars and Firs, though she was sure
her cousin from Lebanon would not come, but all the rest yielded easily
to her entreaties. Mrs. Rose was delighted with the success of Lady
Acacia and Mrs. Larch in their solicitations with the Forest and Fir
Trees, whose majestic appearance and respectable characters she imagined
would dignify her fete, never considering her own littleness might
appear to them despicable; but from them she had nothing to fear, as
they were too well bred to attend any meeting to ridicule it. 'Tis true
when they did grace a public entertainment they kept chiefly together,
and never so far forgot their consequence as to oppress a humble flower,
or stoop to notice a forward insignificant one even in the gayest
attire.

There was an elegant lightness of drapery in Mrs. B