to agriculture.
Mounted on a very tall but quiet horse, I accompanied my host every
morning when he went over his farm, which was chiefly a grass farm. The
house was infested with rats, and a masculine old maid, who was of the
party, lived in such terror of them, that she had a light in her
bedroom, and after she was in bed, made her maid tuck in the white
dimity curtains all round. One night we were awakened by violent
screams, and on going to see what was the matter, we found Miss Cowe in
the middle of the room, bare-footed, in her night-dress, screaming at
the top of her voice. Instead of tucking the rats out of the bed, the
maid had tucked one in, and Miss Cowe on waking beheld it sitting on her
pillow.

* * * * *

There was great political agitation at this time. The corruption and
tyranny of the court, nobility, and clergy in France were so great, that
when the revolution broke out, a large portion of our population thought
the French people were perfectly justified in revolting, and warmly
espoused their cause. Later many changed their opinions, shocked, as
every one was, at the death of the king and queen, and the atrocious
massacres which took place in France. Yet some not only approved of the
revolution abroad, but were so disgusted with our mal-administration at
home, to which they attributed our failure in the war in Holland and
elsewhere, that great dissatisfaction and alarm prevailed throughout the
country. The violence, on the other hand, of the opposite party was not
to be described,--the very name of Liberal was detested.

Great dissensions were caused by difference of opinion in families; and
I heard people previously much esteemed accused from this cause of all
that was evil. My uncle William and my father were as violent Tories as
any.

The Liberals were distinguished by wearing their hair short, and when
one day I happened to say how becoming a crop was, and that I wished the
men would cut off those ugly pigtails, my father exclaimed, "By G--,
when a man cuts off his queue, the head should go with it."

The unjust and exaggerated abuse of the Liberal party made me a Liberal.
From my earliest years my mind revolted against oppression and tyranny,
and I resented the injustice of the world in denying all those
privileges of education to my sex which were so lavishly bestowed on
men. My liberal opinions, both in religion and politics, have remained
unchanged (or, rather, ha