l living men and women; the effect of this, however,
soon passed away, but not so the fascination which was in all she
said and did. Her voice was soft and musical, and her conversation
addressed to one person rather than to the company at large, while
Maria talked rapidly to every one, or _for_ every one who chose to
listen. How happily the hours passed!--we were shown some of those
extraordinary drawings of Sir Robert, who gained an artists reputation
before he was twenty, and attracted the attention of West and Shee[2]
in his mere boyhood. We heard all the interesting particulars of his
panoramic picture of the Storming of Seringapatam, which, the first
of its class, was known half over the world. We must not, however,
be misunderstood--there was neither personal nor family egotism in
the Porters; they invariably spoke of each other with the tenderest
affection--but unless the conversation was _forced_ by their
friends--they never mentioned their own, or each other's works, while
they were most ready to praise what was excellent in the works of
others; they spoke with pleasure of their sojourns in London; while
their mother said, it was much wiser and better for young ladies
who were not rich, to live quietly in the country, and escape the
temptations of luxury and display. At that time the "young ladies"
seemed to us certainly _not_ young: that was about two-and-twenty
years ago, and Jane Porter was seventy-five when she died. They talked
much of their previous dwelling at Thames Ditton, of the pleasant
neighborhood they enjoyed there, though their mother's health and
their own had much improved since their residence on Esher hill;
their little garden was bounded at the back by the beautiful park of
Claremont, and the front of the house overlooked the leading roads,
broken as they are by the village green, and some noble elms. The view
is crowned by the high trees of Esher Place; opening from the village
on that side of the brow of the hill. Jane pointed out the _locale_
of the proud Cardinal Wolsey's domain, inhabited during the days: of
his power over Henry VIII., and in their cloudy evening, when that
capricious monarch's favor changed to bitterest hate. It was the very
spot to foster her high romance, while she could at the same time
enjoy the sweets of that domestic converse she loved best of all.
We were prevented by the occupations and heart-beatings of our own
literary labors from repeating this visit; and in