an! but where is the monkey?" Of
course, everybody round laughed; how could they help it? and dear old
Aunt Mary, instead of wanting to shake his head off--as some old ladies
would--laughed, too, but whispered to him to speak more softly next
time, and gave him a gum-drop out of her pocket.

She loves all the children, and is the soul of indulgence to all her
little nephews and nieces, and don't scold a bit when they run away with
her snuff-box, as Fanny and I have often done; although she is naturally
very quick-tempered, her patience and forbearance are beautiful to
observe.

Aunt Mary never uses spectacles; she reads the finest print, and
stitches far more neatly than I can, without them; and those faded but
small and pretty hands, have knit more stockings for the poor, and made
more patch-work bed-quilts, than I have time to count.

Then she is very lively, and has often made me shout with laughter; her
comical expressions, with many a quiet sly cut at our faults and
nonsensical notions, and her funny stories, are far better than the
writings of many an author, who tries to write as though his fun was
not the hardest work in the world for him, instead of coming right from
his heart, like my dear Aunt Mary's. Time has not soured her, as it does
some old people; you never see her going about, with her brows tied up
in--oh! such a hard knot--with a querulous moan of: "W-h-e-r-e-'s my
spectacles? why d-o-n-'t you come and light my fire? who's got my
snuff-box? oh, dear!" Not at all! but it is: "Do let me read you this
in the paper"--a noble act of heroism, or a funny anecdote, that has
excited her admiration, or laughter; and, presently, we will all be
admiring, or laughing with her, to her immense satisfaction.

You can't get Aunt Mary to put on a hoop petticoat, or wear gaiter
boots. She remains steadfastly by her narrow skirts and prunella shoes.

Once, as a very great favor, she permitted me to try on a dress of hers,
which she wore to her first ball, when she was about sixteen years old.
You may imagine what a singular figure I made in it, when I tell you
that there were but two breadths in the skirt, and tiny gores at the
side; while the sleeves stood out, as though they were lined with
buckram, and the waistband came just under my arms. The material was the
thickest of white silk, with lovely bunches of roses all over it. You
perceive that fashions have changed considerably since she was a girl;
and, I often