again for ten times the amount.

But I should be talking about tea, not smoking; and tea has other
baneful influences besides destroying the digestion. I think that
afternoon tea is the time that breeds more gossip and scandal than
any other hour in the day.

As Young exclaims:--

"Tea! How I tremble at thy fatal stream!
As Lethe dreadful to the love of fame.
What devastations on thy bank are seen,
What shades of mighty names that once have been!
A hecatomb of characters supplies
Thy painted alters' daily sacrifice!"

Acquaintances drop in. They have all the latest doings of the
neighborhood at their fingers' ends, and in a quarter of an hour have
picked everyone of their most intimate friends to pieces, nor do they
leave them a shred of character.

Why do we feel such a relish in running down our friends and
relations--the latter especially? _I_ quite enjoy it, though I should
never do so outside my own family; thus my words never come round to
their ears. It is a necessity to relieve your feelings occasionally,
and your family is a good, safe receptacle.

For those who have a taste for speaking spitefully of their neighbors,
I can suggest an amusing game which was, I believe, started in Oxford.
It is called Photograph whist, and is played by four. Two or three
dozen photographs are dealt round, and each person plays one, he who
plays the ugliest portrait taking the trick. The more hideous the
photograph, the greater its value as a trump! I have played the game
with a man who always keeps his brother to the end, and then brings
him out with enormous success, the said brother never failing to
overtrump any other card in the pack! So you see it is a most amiable
game altogether. You must only be careful not to spread your doings
abroad, or no one will present you with their portraits ever again.

There is no sin so bad as being found out. You can say anything as
long as you are not discovered to be the originator. But if your words
against a person ever happen to get round to him or her (of course
added to, and made almost unrecognizable in their progress) you make
an enemy for life. At least, this is so as a rule. Personally, I never
care what people say against me, so long as it is not true. But if
they only keep to the truth, then it is aggravating. You cannot deny
it! You cannot "tremble with indignation, and fling the words back in
their faces," as the slandered heroine always does