s upon the advantages their
education gives them! Who has not seen some one of them, just come from
the university, disdainfully smile at a mistaken or ill-pronounced word
from a lady, when her sense has been clear, and her sentiments just; and
when he could not himself utter a single sentence fit to be repeated, but
what he had borrowed from the authors he had been obliged to study, as a
painful exercise to slow and creeping parts? But how I digress:

This excellent young lady used to say, 'it was incredible to think what
might be done by early rising, and by long days well filled up.'

It may be added, that she had calculated according to the practice of too
many, she had actually lived more years at sixteen, than they had at
twenty-six.

She was of opinion, 'that no one could spend their time properly, who did
not live by some rule: who did not appropriate the hours, as nearly as
might be, to particular purposes and employments.'

In conformity to this self-set lesson, the usual distribution of the
twenty-four hours, when left to her own choice, were as follows:

For REST she allotted SIX hours only.

She thought herself not so well, and so clear in her intellects, [so much
alive, she used to say,] if she exceeded this proportion. If she slept
not, she chose to rise sooner. And in winter had her fire laid, and a
taper ready burning to light it; not loving to give trouble to the
servants, 'whose harder work, and later hours of going to bed,' she used
to say, 'required consideration.'

I have blamed her for her greater regard to them than to herself. But
this was her answer; 'I have my choice, who can wish for more? Why
should I oppress others, to gratify myself? You see what free-will
enables one to do; while imposition would make a light burden heavy.'

Her first THREE morning hours

were generally passed in her study, and in her closet duties: and were
occasionally augmented by those she saved from rest: and in these passed
her epistolary amusements.

Two hours she generally allotted to domestic management.

These, at different times of the day, as occasions required; all the
housekeeper's bills, in ease of her mother, passing through her hands.
For she was a perfect mistress of the four principal rules of arithmetic.

FIVE hours to her needle, drawings, music, &c.

In these she included the assistance and inspection she gave to her own
servants, and to her sister's s