e much to guess!--when one has the honor of knowing
every one of the young ladies, and more of their giddy partner and his
strong points (and his weak ones)--than he himself!--and we know him to
be an aspiring young man, for whom the best of all things is but just
good enough--and in every thing that beguiles young fools to folly, who
is there among our maidens that can vie with the daughter of our most
worshipful and puissant Burgermeister?--Did I not lay hands on a
certain drawing board a few days ago, that was ornamented with the name
of Flora in choicest arabesques?"

"Your tea is strong, little mother, but your prophetic sense is weak;"
said the young man with an affectation of pomposity; "of course I do
not attempt to deny"--he proceeded with a passing blush--"that I really
did at one time admire that smooth-faced little viper, who can slip so
cleverly through a thousand things that would pose a man--and besides I
may as well confess that I felt less provoked at my own mistakes,
because it amused me to persuade myself that it was love that made me
stupid, as it has made many a cleverer man before me. But to-night my
eyes were opened, and I saw that between us two there never could be
any question of love. If a certain muslin dress were but transparent
enough for us to look into her left side, we should discover nothing, I
lay my life, but a pair of ball-tablets and the last No. of the
'Modes'."

"And may I enquire what there is to justify a young gentleman in
harbouring such dire suspicions? Is a helpless young woman to be argued
out of her heart, simply because she may not hold it ready when certain
persons ask her."

"Proofs--we have proofs of what we advance;" returned the lad very
seriously; "I do not profess to be any very extraordinary judge of
character--in fact I suffered myself to be made a fool of for a time.
All this winter, you should have seen how this little Dalilah walked
round my beard,--to use a figure of speech, for this trifle of yellow
down is barely enough to swear by yet.

"Though I do dance deplorably, and never know whether it is a valse or
schottisch, or whether I am to begin with the right foot or the left,
still I was the acknowledged favorite. I was the eldest and biggest of
the company, and might be looked upon as a full-grown man and
champion." "A pike among the small fry;" observed his listener.

"As you please; she took me as full measure, and I let her--There _are_
feminine p