put her equally active mind through what
classical collegians term "a course of sprouts." Having undertaken to
read and know everything, she devoted herself to the task with great
energy, going from Sue to Swedenborg with perfect impartiality, and
having different authors as children have sundry distempers, being
fractious while they lasted, but all the better for them when once
over. Carlyle appeared like scarlet-fever, and raged violently for a
time; for, being anything but a "passive bucket," Di became prophetic
with Mahomet, belligerent with Cromwell, and made the French Revolution
a veritable Reign of Terror to her family. Goethe and Schiller
alternated like fever and ague; Mephistopheles became her hero, Joan of
Arc her model, and she turned her black eyes red over Egmont and
Wallenstein. A mild attack of Emerson followed, during which she was
lost in a fog, and her sisters rejoiced inwardly when she emerged
informing them that

"The Sphinx was drowsy,
Her wings were furled."

Poor Di was floundering slowly to her proper place; but she splashed up
a good deal of foam by getting out of her depth, and rather exhausted
herself by trying to drink the ocean dry.

Laura, after the "midsummer night's dream" that often comes to girls of
seventeen, woke up to find that youth and love were no match for age
and common sense. Philip had been flying about the world like a
thistle-down for five-and-twenty years, generous-hearted, frank, and
kind, but with never an idea of the serious side of life in his
handsome head. Great, therefore, were the wrath and dismay of the
enamored thistle-down, when the father of his love mildly objected to
seeing her begin the world in a balloon with a very tender but very
inexperienced aeronaut for a guide.

"Laura is too young to 'play house' yet, and you are too unstable to
assume the part of lord and master, Philip. Go and prove that you have
prudence, patience, energy, and enterprise, and I will give you my
girl,--but not before. I must seem cruel, that I may be truly kind;
believe this, and let a little pain lead you to great happiness, or
show you where you would have made a bitter blunder."

The lovers listened, owned the truth of the old man's words, bewailed
their fate, and yielded,--Laura for love of her father, Philip for love
of her. He went away to build a firm foundation for his castle in the
air, and Laura retired into an invisible convent, where she cast off
the w