ill you give me your
company to breakfast; which may be always so, as that we may have done
at a little after nine.

Then will you have several hours again at your disposal, till two
o'clock, when I shall like to sit down at table.

You will then have several useful hours more to employ yourself in, as
you shall best like; and I would generally go to supper by eight; and
when we are resolved to stick to these oldfashioned rules, as near as
we can, we shall have our visitors conform to them too, and expect them
from us, and suit themselves accordingly: For I have always observed,
that it is in every one's power to prescribe rules to himself. It is
only standing a few ridiculous jests at first, and that too from such,
generally, as are not the most worthy to be minded; and, after a while,
they will say, It signifies nothing to ask him: he will have his own
way. There is no putting him out of his bias. He is a regular piece of
clock-work, they will joke, and all that: And why, my dear, should we
not be so? For man is as frail a piece of machinery as any clock-work
whatever; and, by irregularity, is as subject to be disordered.

Then, my dear, continued the charming man, when they see they are
received, at my own times, with an open countenance and cheerful heart;
when they see plenty and variety at my board, and meet a kind and
hearty welcome from us both; they will not offer to break in upon my
conditions, nor grudge me my regular hours: And as most of these people
have nothing to do, except to rise in a morning, they may as well come
to breakfast with us at half an hour after eight, in summer, as at ten
or eleven; to dinner at two, as at four, five, or six; and to supper
at eight, as at ten or eleven. And then our servants, too, will know,
generally, the times of their business, and the hours of their leisure
or recess; and we, as well as they, shall reap the benefits of
this regularity. And who knows, my dear, but we may revive the good
oldfashion in our neighbourhood, by this means?--At least it will be
doing our parts towards it; and answering the good lesson I learned at
school, Every one mend one. And the worst that will happen will be, that
when some of my brother rakes, such as those who broke in upon us, so
unwelcomely, last Thursday, are got out of the way, if that can ever be,
and begin to consider who they shall go to dine with in their rambles,
they will only say, We must not go to him, for his dinner-time