at: "She walks by the side of her characters as Mentor by the
side of Telemachus, keeping them out of all manner of pleasant mischief,
and wagging the monitory head and waving the remonstrating finger,
should their breath come thick at approaching adventures."

CHAPTER IX.

VISIT TO LONDON.--MR. EDGEWORTH'S DEATH.

Busily, happily, uneventfully time flowed on at Edgeworthstown, while
abroad Miss Edgeworth's fame was steadily on the increase. But whatever
the world might say, however kind, nay flattering, its verdict, this
preeminently sensible woman did not suffer herself to be deluded by
success. That she knew precisely and gauged correctly the extent and
limits of her power, is proved by a letter written to Mr. Elton Hammond,
who had over-zealously defended her from criticism:--

I thank you for your friendly zeal in defense of my powers of
pathos and sublimity, but I think it carries you much too far, and
you imagine that I refrain from principle or virtue from displaying
powers which I really do not possess. I assure you that I am not in
the least degree capable of writing a dithyrambic ode, or any other
kind of ode. Therefore it would be the meanest affectation in me to
pretend to refrain from such efforts of genius. In novel-writing I
certainly have from principle avoided all exaggerated sentiment;
but I am well aware that many other writers possess in a much
higher degree than I do the power of pathos and the art of
touching the passions. As to how I should use these powers if I had
them, perhaps I cannot fairly judge, but all I am at present sure
of is that I will not depreciate that which I do not possess.

Another letter to the same correspondent deserves quotation, as giving
her views on authorship. Mr. Hammond had consulted her as to the
advisability of his adventuring on that career. Miss Edgeworth
replied:--

If everybody were to wait till they could write a book in which
there should not be a single fault or error, the press might stand
still for ages yet unborn. Mankind must have arrived at the summit
of knowledge before language could be as perfect as you expect
yours to be. Till ideas are exact, just and sufficient, how can
words which represent them be accurate? The advantage of the art of
printing is that the mistakes of individuals in reasoning and
writing will be corrected in time