irch's dress, but
poor Lady Aspen had certainly a very trifling way with her in shaking
continually her leaves, which sounded as if she was tittering at
everything around. Old Lord Elm was hurt at it, and often hinted to her
ladyship how improper such behaviour would have been deemed in former
times. It was, poor thing, in her a natural weakness which she could not
amend, and it had been copied by some inferior plants who had ignorantly
supposed it the height of good breeding.

Mrs. Rose, with all her charms, could not aspire to become one of the
Forest set, though she had hopes she might be reckoned a descendant from
the famous Roses so well known in the reigns of some of our Henrys,
Edwards, and Richard III., though she assuredly was of a very different
extraction; indeed, it was said that she was bred up in a cottage
garden, but had passed one winter in the hothouse, by which she was
greatly elated, and now thought from that circumstance she was secure in
having a large party from thence, not knowing the prejudice it was to
memory and sight to be constantly for any length of time in such
artificial air. Had it not been for this breakfast bringing Mrs. Rose
into notice she would have been totally forgotten by them, but her
invitation made them soon recollect the dear little creature, and as
every offer of accommodation was made to entice them to attend, even to
the promise of being placed near the Burning Bush: for that whatever is
difficult to obtain is always peculiarly desirable to possess was not
unknown in the hothouse. Notwithstanding that most of its inhabitants,
except Lady Sensitive and a few others (who were really too delicate to
venture out), all anxiously wished to be at Mrs. Rose's, yet they seemed
to make the waiting on her a very great favour, and their terms vexed
her greatly--namely, the excluding of many of the common plants or
natives as they termed them which prevented her from asking some of her
old acquaintance and near connections, with whom till now she had lived
in habits of intimacy; besides she had wished to have shown her taste
and consequence to them, having thorns enough on her stem to have
pleasure in exciting a little envy; but being afraid these connections
should be known she excluded every friend she was requested to do, and
thus the Sweet Briar and many of that rank were left out, yet several
weeds had the effrontery to get in.

As the hothouse plants always keep together when the