mber that we went into was as full as a bee-hive.
Silks swept and rustled against each other like oak-leaves when the wind
shakes them. The great looking-glasses were full also--you saw a crowd
of handsome faces coming and going in them all the time. Each glass was
like a picture always changing.

The bed was covered over with cloaks and shawls, but you could see that
the bedstead was beautifully carved, and the pillow-cases were ruffled
all round and edged with lace. On a table near the door was a case of
shiny black wood, curlicued with gold, and lined with velvet. In it was
a lot of gold things, essence bottles, knives, scissors with gold
handles, and glass cases with gold lids. It lay open, and anybody could
use the things that wanted to; I didn't, but had a good look while E. E.
was titivating in the crowd before the glass.

My dress must have carried out the grand idea in my mind when I made
it, for all the ladies stopped, and gave me a good, long look before
they went out, and I could see smiles of approbation dancing about their
mouths. My triumph commenced, sisters, even in the dressing-room.

Dempster was waiting for us, and we followed him downstairs into the
largest and handsomest room I've seen in Washington City.

It was just afire with lights. The great curving window was crowded full
of flowers; every table in the room blazed out with them. Two
folding-doors, like those we have in a Vermont meeting-house, opened
into another great room, just as rainbowish with light, and smelling
just as sweet with flowers--I never saw anything like it.

A crowd went in with us, and we had to wait till they let us go up to
Judge Chase and Mrs. Sprague, who stood in the front room.

Goodness gracious, what a female woman that is! No willow tree was ever
half so graceful, and, as for manners, the nicest woman I ever saw is
nowhere to her. Her dress--well, I really cannot say that it didn't pull
an even yoke with mine--at any rate the contrast between us was
striking, nothing could have been more so. But I can say, without
vanity, the crowd as it came in stopped to look at mine quite as much as
it did at hers. Original taste, you know, sisters, is everything; then
literary genius united with taste isn't easily matched. Still, Mrs.
Sprague's dress was well worth noticing.

"What did she wear?" I hear you say.

Sisters, your wishes are laws to me.

This lady, for she _is_ a lady, every inch of her, as I have said, wa