m speaking, as to an assured
asylum against every evil.

Some of these persons, I imagine, perceived us; for immediately after
they entered, came out a woman who, by her air and manner of address, we
guessed to be the housekeeper, and desired us to walk into the house
till the storm was over. We made some difficulties about taking that
liberty, but she still persisting in her invitation, had my curiosity to
see the inhabitants of this hospitable mansion been less, I could not
have refused to comply, as by prolonging these ceremonious altercations
I was detaining her in the storm; we therefore agreed to follow her.

If we had been inclined before to fancy ourselves on enchanted ground,
when after being led through a large hall, we were introduced to the
ladies, who knew nothing of what had passed, I could scarcely forbear
believing myself in the Attic school. The room where they sat was about
forty-five feet long, of a proportionable breadth, with three windows on
one side, which looked into a garden, and a large bow at the upper end.
Over against the windows were three large bookcases, upon the top of the
middle one stood an orrery, and a globe on each of the others. In the
bow sat two ladies reading, with pen, ink and paper on a table before
them at which was a young girl translating out of French. At the lower
end of the room was a lady painting, with exquisite art indeed, a
beautiful Madonna; near her another, drawing a landscape out of her own
imagination; a third, carving a picture-frame in wood, in the finest
manner, a fourth, engraving; and a young girl reading aloud to them; the
distance from the ladies in the bow window being such, that they could
receive no disturbance from her. At the next window were placed a group
of girls, from the age of ten years old to fourteen. Of these, one was
drawing figures, another a landscape, a third a perspective view, a
fourth engraving, a fifth carving, a sixth turning in wood, a seventh
writing, an eighth cutting out linen, another making a gown, and by them
an empty chair and a tent, with embroidery, finely fancied, before it,
which we afterwards found had been left by a young girl who was gone to
practise on the harpsichord.

As soon as we entered they all rose up, and the housekeeper introduced
us by saying she saw us standing under a tree to avoid the storm and so
had desired us to walk in. The ladies received us with the greatest
politeness, and expressed concern that