entirely made of gold tissue; and one evening a man in the pit
exclaimed to a friend of mine sitting by him, "Oh! doesn't she look
like a splendid gold pheasant?" the possibility of which comparison
had not occurred to me, not being a sportsman.]

_Friday, 9th._-- ... I went with my mother to the theater to hear
"Fra Diavolo," with which, and Miss Sheriff's singing in it, we
were delighted.

_Saturday, 10th._-- ... We had a talk about the fashion of southern
countries of serenading, which I am very glad is not an English
fashion. Music, as long as I am awake, is a pure and perfect
delight to me, but to be wakened out of my sleep by music is to
wake in a spasm of nervous terror, shaking from head to foot, and
sick at my stomach, with indescribable fear and dismay; certainly
no less agreeable effect could possibly be contemplated by the
gallantry of a serenading admirer, so I am glad our admirers do not
serenade us English girls. This picturesque practice prevails all
through the United States, where the dry brilliancy of the climate
and skies is favorable to the paying and receiving this melodious
homage, and where musical bands, sometimes numbering fifty, are
marshaled by personal or political admirers, under the balconies of
reigning beauties or would-be-reigning public men. My total
ignorance of this prevailing practice in the United States led to a
very prosaic demonstration of gratitude on my part toward my first
serenaders; for I opened my window and rewarded them with a dollar,
which one of the recipients informed me he should always keep, to
my no small confusion, not knowing the nature of my gratuitous
indulgence, and that, like my Lady Greensleeves in the old English
ballad, "My music still to play and sing" would be, while I
remained in America, a disinterested demonstration of the devotion
of my friends.... My poor mother is in the deepest distress about
my father. Inflammation of the lungs is dreaded, and he is spitting
blood. I felt as if I were turning to stone as I heard it. I came
up to my own room and cried most bitterly for a long time. In the
afternoon I was allowed to go in and see my father; but I was so
overcome that, as I stooped to kiss his hand, I was almost
suffocated with suppressed sobs. I did control myself, howe