e
hard upon the fashionable young persons of her acquaintance and sex. In
after life, care and thought subdued her pride, and she learned to look
at society more good-naturedly; but at this time, and for some years
after, she was impatient of commonplace people, and did not choose to
conceal her scorn. Lady Clara was very much afraid of her. Those timid
little thoughts, which would come out, and frisk and gambol with pretty
graceful antics, and advance confidingly at the sound of Jack Belsize's
jolly voice, and nibble crumbs out of his hand, shrank away before
Ethel, severe nymph with the bright eyes, and hid themselves under the
thickets and in the shade. Who has not overheard a simple couple of
girls, or of lovers possibly, pouring out their little hearts, laughing
at their own little jokes, prattling and prattling away unceasingly,
until mamma appears with her awful didactic countenance, or the
governess with her dry moralities, and the colloquy straightway ceases,
the laughter stops, the chirp of the harmless little birds is hushed.
Lady Clara being of a timid nature, stood in as much awe of Ethel as of
her father and mother; whereas her next sister, a brisk young creature
of seventeen, who was of the order of romps or tomboys, was by no means
afraid of Miss Newcome, and indeed a much greater favourite with her
than her placid elder sister.

Young ladies may have been crossed in love, and have had their
sufferings, their frantic moments of grief and tears, their wakeful
nights, and so forth; but it is only in very sentimental novels that
people occupy themselves perpetually with that passion: and, I believe,
what are called broken hearts are very rare articles indeed. Tom
is jilted--is for a while in a dreadful state--bores all his male
acquaintance with his groans and his frenzy--rallies from the
complaint--eats his dinner very kindly--takes an interest in the next
turf event, and is found at Newmarket, as usual, bawling out the odds
which he will give or take. Miss has her paroxysm and recovery--Madame
Crinoline's new importations from Paris interest the young creature--she
deigns to consider whether pink or blue will become her most--she
conspires with her maid to make the spring morning dresses answer for
the autumn--she resumes her books, piano, and music (giving up certain
songs perhaps that she used to sing)--she waltzes with the Captain--gets
a colour--waltzes longer, better, and ten times quicker than Lucy,