ellent wife in
superintending the perfectionment of certain young ladies of his
acquaintance in samplers, and millinery, and cookery, and such other
of the fine and useful arts as she was known to excel in; and he
subjoined thereto, that the charges for each pupil would be so large,
being only those of consideration which he recommended unto me, that
a few years would be sufficient wherein to consolidate portions for
all my children. Such, with some misgivings touching my own
interpretation, did I make out to be the substance of my excellent
wife's letter; and I rejoiced greatly that such an opening was made
for me, by the which I might attain to such eminence of estate that I
might place my Charles in the first ranks of the law, yea, might live
to see him raised to the fullness of temporal grandeur, and sitting,
as Lord High Keeper, among the peers and princes of the land, with a
crown of pure gold upon his head. But there was no crown but a
heavenly one, that fadeth not nor groweth dim, that could have added a
fresh beauty to the fair head of my Charles. But the sweetest part of
her missive was contained in the _post scriptum_. Therein she said,
and in this I could not be wrong, that Mr Snowton had undertaken to
forward her in his light wheeled cart, by reason of the conveniency it
would be of to her in the transportation of herself and luggage, and
also of Miss Alice Snowton, of Mr Snowton's kindred, a young lady
which he had adopted (being the only child of his only brother, Mr
Richard Snowton, deceased), and advised my wife to accept the care of
her as a beginning, and for the charges of the same he would be
answerable for fifty golden Caroluses at Ladyday and Michaelmas. A
hundred Caroluses each year! My heart bounded with joy. Great were my
preparations for the reception of my new inmate, and busy were we all
from my busy Waller down to Charles. He with much riotousness did
superintend all, and rejoiced greatly at the noise caused by the
hammering, and taking down and putting up of bed-hangings, and did in
no slight measure add thereto by strange outbreaks of riotous mirth,
such as whooping and screaming; causing confusion, at the same time,
by various demonstrations of his enjoyments, such as throwing nails
against the windows, beating on the floor with the poker, and
occasionally interrupting our operations by tumbling down stairs, and
causing us for a moment to believe him killed outright, or at least
maimed f