uch as in
England; the servants handing round tea, coffee, and cakes, on broad
silver salvers. But we all sat and took our refreshments at leisure,
instead of standing with cups in our hands, and elbowing our way through
crowds of persons, who all look as if they were bound on some particular
business, and could scarcely afford time to recognise their passing
acquaintance. We then adjourned to the music-room, where the
music-master[103] attended to accompany the ladies, many of whom sang
extremely well; but when it came to Dona Rosa's turn, I was ready to
exclaim with Comus--

"Can any mortal mixture of earth's mould
Breathe such divine enchanting ravishment?"

[Note 103: This man is brother to the instructor of Catalani.]

The music ended, and who was not sorry at its conclusion? the dancing
commenced, and then those who like myself were not dancers sat by to
gossip. An Englishman who has been in this country many years, seeing me
full of admiration of the beautiful and gay creatures before me, began
to give me such a picture of the private morals in Brazil, as was
beginning to darken their countenances and to dim their eyes, when
luckily he went a step too far, and offered to wager, (the true English
way of affirming,) that there were in that room not less than ten
ladies, each provided with her note to slip into the hand of her
gallant, and that the married and unmarried were alike; and referred me
to my friend M----, who has long been here, and knows the people well.
He looked slowly round the room, and I began to fear,--but he said, "No,
not here; though I do not deny that such things are done in Rio. But,
Mrs. G., do not you know, as well as I, that in all great cities, in
your country and in mine as well as in this, a certain portion of every
class of society is less moral than the rest? In some countries
immorality is more refined indeed; and when manners lose their
grossness, they are stripped apparently of half their vice. But suppose
the fact, that women, even the unmarried, are less pure here than in
Europe, remember that with us, besides the mother, there is the nurse of
the family, or the governess, or even the waiting-maid of every young
woman, who is supposed to be well brought up, and of good character and
morals. These are all checks on conduct, and form a guardianship only
inferior to a mother's. But here the servants are slaves; therefore
naturally the enemies of their masters, and ready a