Yet how do these poor boasters value themselves upon the advantages their education gives them! Who has not seen some one of them, just come from the university, disdainfully smile at a mistaken or ill-p.r.o.nounced word from a lady, when her sense has been clear, and her sentiments just; and when he could not himself utter a single sentence fit to be repeated, but what he had borrowed from the authors he had been obliged to study, as a painful exercise to slow and creeping parts? But how I digress:
This excellent young lady used to say, "it was incredible to think what might be done by early rising, and by long days well filled up."
It may be added, that she had calculated according to the practice of too many, she had actually lived more years at sixteen, than they had at twenty-six.
She was of opinion, "that no one could spend their time properly, who did not live by some rule: who did not appropriate the hours, as nearly as might be, to particular purposes and employments."
In conformity to this self-set lesson, the usual distribution of the twenty-four hours, when left to her own choice, were as follows:
For REST she allotted SIX hours only.
She thought herself not so well, and so clear in her intellects, [so much alive, she used to say,] if she exceeded this proportion. If she slept not, she chose to rise sooner. And in winter had her fire laid, and a taper ready burning to light it; not loving to give trouble to the servants, "whose harder work, and later hours of going to bed," she used to say, "required consideration."
I have blamed her for her greater regard to them than to herself. But this was her answer; "I have my choice, who can wish for more? Why should I oppress others, to gratify myself? You see what free-will enables one to do; while imposition would make a light burden heavy."
Her first THREE morning hours
were generally pa.s.sed in her study, and in her closet duties: and were occasionally augmented by those she saved from rest: and in these pa.s.sed her epistolary amus.e.m.e.nts.
Two hours she generally allotted to domestic management.
These, at different times of the day, as occasions required; all the housekeeper"s bills, in ease of her mother, pa.s.sing through her hands.
For she was a perfect mistress of the four princ.i.p.al rules of arithmetic.
FIVE hours to her needle, drawings, music, &c.
In these she included the a.s.sistance and inspection she gave to her own servants, and to her sister"s servants, in the needle-works required for the family: for her sister, as I have above hinted, is a MODERN. In these she also included Dr. Lewen"s conversation-visits; with whom likewise she held a correspondence by letters. That reverend gentleman delighted himself and her twice or thrice a week, if his health permitted, with these visits: and she always preferred his company to any other engagement.
Two hours she allotted to her two first meals.
But if conversation, or the desire of friends, or the falling in of company or guests, required it to be otherwise, she never scrupled to oblige; and would on such occasions borrow, as she called it, from other distributions. And as she found it very hard not to exceed in this appropriation, she put down
ONE hour more to dinner-time conversation,
to be added or subtracted, as occasions offered, or the desire of her friends required: and yet found it difficult, as she often said, to keep this account even; especially if Dr. Lewen obliged them with his company at their table; which, however he seldom did; for, being a valetudinarian, and in a regimen, he generally made his visits in the afternoon.
ONE hour to visits to the neighbouring poor;
to a select number of whom, and to their children, she used to give brief instructions, and good books; and as this happened not every day, and seldom above twice a-week, she had two or three hours at a time to bestow in this benevolent employment.
The remaining FOUR hours
were occasionally allotted to supper, to conversation, or to reading after supper to the family. This allotment she called her fund, upon which she used to draw, to satisfy her other debits; and in this she included visits received and returned, shows, spectacles, &c. which, in a country life, not occurring every day, she used to think a great allowance, no less than two days in six, for amus.e.m.e.nts only; and she was wont to say, that it was hard if she could not steal time out of this fund, for an excursion of even two or three days in a month.
If it be said, that her relations, or the young neighbouring ladies, had but little of her time, it will be considered, that besides these four hours in the twenty-four, great part of the time she was employed in her needle-works she used to converse as she worked; and it was a custom she had introduced among her acquaintance, that the young ladies in their visits used frequently, in a neighbourly way, (in the winter evenings especially,) to bring their work with them; and one of half a dozen of her select acquaintance used by turns to read to the rest as they were at work.
This was her usual method, when at her own command, for six days in the week.
THE SEVENTH DAY
she kept as it ought to be kept; and as some part of it was frequently employed in works of mercy, the hour she allotted to visiting the neighbouring poor was occasionally supplied from this day, and added to her fund.
But I must observe, that when in her grandfather"s lifetime she was three or four weeks at a time his housekeeper or guest, as also at either of her uncles, her usual distribution of time was varied; but still she had an eye to it as nearly as circ.u.mstances would admit.
When I had the happiness of having her for my guest, for a fortnight or so, she likewise dispensed with her rules in mere indulgence to my foibles, and idler habits; for I also, (though I had the benefit of an example I so much admired) am too much of a modern. Yet, as to morning risings, I had corrected myself by such a precedent, in the summer-time; and can witness to the benefit I found by it in my health: as also to the many useful things I was enabled, by that means, with ease and pleasure, to perform. And in her account-book I have found this memorandum, since her ever-to-be-lamented death:--"From such a day, to such a day, all holidays, at my dear Miss Howe"s."--At her return--"Account resumed, such a day," naming it; and then she proceeded regularly, as before.
Once-a-week she used to reckon with herself; when, if within the 144 hours, contained in the six days, she had made her account even, she noted it accordingly; if otherwise, she carried the debit to the next week"s account; as thus:--Debtor to the article of the benevolent visits, so many hours. And so of the rest.
But it was always an especial part of her care that, whether visiting or visited, she showed in all companies an entire ease, satisfaction, and cheerfulness, as if she had kept no such particular account, and as if she did not make herself answerable to herself for her occasional exceedings.
This method, which to others will appear perplexing and unnecessary, her early hours, and custom, had made easy and pleasant to her.
And indeed, as I used to tell her, greatly as I admired her in all methods, I could not bring myself to this, might I have had the world for my reward.
I had indeed too much impatience in my temper, to observe such a regularity in accounting between me and myself. I satisfied myself in a lump-account, as I may call it, if I had nothing greatly wrong to reproach myself, when I looked back on a past week, as she had taught me to do.
For she used indulgently to say, "I do not think ALL I do necessary for another to do; nor even for myself; but when it is more pleasant for me to keep such an account, than to let it alone, why may I not proceed in my supererogatories?--There can be no harm in it. It keeps up my attention to accounts; which one day may be of use to me in more material instances. Those who will not keep a strict account, seldom long keep any. I neglect not more useful employments for it. And it teaches me to be covetous of time; the only thing of which we can be allowably covetous; since we live but once in this world; and, when gone, are gone from it for ever."
She always reconciled the necessity under which these interventions, as she called them, laid her, of now-and-then breaking into some of her appropriations; saying, "That was good sense, and good manners too, in the common lesson, When at Rome, do as they do at Rome. And that to be easy of persuasion, in matters where one could oblige without endangering virtue, or worthy habits, was an apostolical excellency; since, if a person conformed with a view of making herself an interest in her friend"s affections, in order to be heeded in greater points, it was imitating His example, who became all things to all men, that He might gain some." Nor is it to be doubted, had life been spared her, that the sweetness of her temper, and her cheerful piety, would have made virtue and religion appear so lovely, that her example would have had no small influence upon the minds and manners of those who would have had the honour of conversing with her.
O Mr. Belford! I can write no further on this subject. For, looking into the account-book for other particulars, I met with a most affecting memorandum; which being written on the extreme edge of the paper, with a fine pen, and in the dear creature"s smallest hand, I saw not before.-- This it is; written, I suppose, at some calamitous period after the day named in it--help me to curse, to blast the monster who gave occasion for it!----
APRIL 10. The account concluded!
And with it all my worldly hopes and prospects!
I take up my pen; but not to apologize for my execration.--Once more I pray to G.o.d to avenge me of him!--Me, I say--for mine is the loss--her"s the gain.
O Sir! you did not--you could not know her, as I knew her! Never was such an excellence!--So warm, yet so cool a friend!--So much what I wish to be, but never shall be!--For, alas! my stay, my adviser, my monitress, my directress, is gone!--for ever gone!--She honoured me with the t.i.tle of The Sister of her Heart; but I was only so in the love I bore her, (a love beyond a sister"s--infinitely beyond her sister"s!) in the hatred I have to every mean and sordid action; and in my love of virtue; for, otherwise, I am of a high and haughty temper, as I have acknowledged heretofore, and very violent in my pa.s.sions.
In short, she was the nearest perfection of any creature I ever knew.
She never preached to me lessons which she practised not herself. She lived the life she taught. All humility, meekness, self-accusing, others acquitting, though the shadow of the fault was hardly hers, the substance their"s, whose only honour was their relation to her.
To lose such a friend--such a guide.--If ever my violence was justifiable, it is upon this recollection! For she lived only to make me sensible of my failings, but not long enough to enable me to conquer them; as I was resolved to endeavour to do.
Once more then let me execrate--but now violence and pa.s.sion again predominate!--And how can it be otherwise?
But I force myself from the subject, having lost the purpose for which I resumed my pen.
A. HOWE.