haps I
was. Papa and Mamma were unquestionably tall. I have rarely seen a finer
women than my mother; never than my father.'

The irrepressible Lavvy remarked aloud, 'Whatever grandpapa was, he
wasn't a female.'

'Your grandpapa,' retorted Mrs Wilfer, with an awful look, and in an
awful tone, 'was what I describe him to have been, and would have struck
any of his grandchildren to the earth who presumed to question it. It
was one of mamma's cherished hopes that I should become united to a
tall member of society. It may have been a weakness, but if so, it was
equally the weakness, I believe, of King Frederick of Prussia.' These
remarks being offered to Mr George Sampson, who had not the courage to
come out for single combat, but lurked with his chest under the table
and his eyes cast down, Mrs Wilfer proceeded, in a voice of increasing
sternness and impressiveness, until she should force that skulker
to give himself up. 'Mamma would appear to have had an indefinable
foreboding of what afterwards happened, for she would frequently urge
upon me, "Not a little man. Promise me, my child, not a little man.
Never, never, never, marry a little man!" Papa also would remark to me
(he possessed extraordinary humour), "that a family of whales must not
ally themselves with sprats." His company was eagerly sought, as may
be supposed, by the wits of the day, and our house was their continual
resort. I have known as many as three copper-plate engravers exchanging
the most exquisite sallies and retorts there, at one time.' (Here Mr
Sampson delivered himself captive, and said, with an uneasy movement on
his chair, that three was a large number, and it must have been highly
entertaining.) 'Among the most prominent members of that distinguished
circle, was a gentleman measuring six feet four in height. HE was NOT
an engraver.' (Here Mr Sampson said, with no reason whatever, Of course
not.) 'This gentleman was so obliging as to honour me with attentions
which I could not fail to understand.' (Here Mr Sampson murmured that
when it came to that, you could always tell.) 'I immediately announced
to both my parents that those attentions were misplaced, and that I
could not favour his suit. They inquired was he too tall? I replied it
was not the stature, but the intellect was too lofty. At our house,
I said, the tone was too brilliant, the pressure was too high, to be
maintained by me, a mere woman, in every-day domestic life. I well
remember ma