I am wound around Flora's little finger

My dear ones come to me in my fine reserv’d chamber that night and we say many fond foolish things to one another. 'Tis most extreme delightfull to be in triangle even do they have to depart leaving me alone in my exceptional large bed.

Next morn I am waken’d by the accustom’d chocolate party levée.

My precious darling comes snuggle against me, 'tis most extreme charming; and Quintus comes sit at my other side.

Bess pours chocolate and Meg hands it around, I remark sure they are getting most adept at these matters.

Bess goes perch on one side of the bed and Meg at the other. Harry sits at the foot.

Harry says he hears that I went to Sir P- O-'s fine cricketing party? Jackson, that he was at school with, says he holds one every summer.

O, cries Bess, a cricket party? Sure that must quite exceed.

I laugh a little and say that I do not think she would have enjoy’d it, for the ladies did not play but were suppos’d to occupy themselves in admiring the fellows as they play’d.

Both Bess and Meg look exceeding disdainfull at this.

And, I go on, I am not sure all the gentlemen found it entire agreeable. There was Tom O-, that is Sir P- O-'s son, would rather sit reading about steam than be at the wicket or in the field.

Why, says Harry, sure one may enjoy both: a fine cricket party with fellows that play well must be a prime thing.

O, cries Meg, is not Tom O- in our dancing-class?

Bess takes a little thought and says that she confides that he is. A quiet fellow, but does not go trample upon one’s feet.

I say sure he will become quite vociferous does one enter upon the matter of steam. Also there was the painter Mr van H-, that I confide did not expect that he would have to give up his brush for a bat.

And was His Lordship there? asks Harry.

No, had some other engagement, says I, tho’ his friend Lord A- was of the party.

Oh, says Harry, Lord A- that plays at Lords? Sure I should like to see him at bat, and is not’d a most cunning bowler.

He grins, and says to his sisters, do you two go make up to Tom O- at dancing class, and perchance we shall be invit’d next year.

Bess says 'twould be poor sport could they not play themselves.

Perchance, says I, one could make up a ladies’ team? Sure there must be other young ladies that play. But that minds me, on one of my other visits I saw Lady Anna M- and her sister go play at battledore and shuttlecock, and have brought the like for you.

O, prime! says Meg. Bess sniffs and says, but 'tis not cricket.

(Sure I have seen the girls playing at R- House, and being instruct’d by Milord, and I fear that their ferocity as bowlers would be consider’d entire unsuitable in young ladies, especial did they go against gentlemen, that do not like to find the fair sex like to beat them at some sport.)

Comes Miss N- to take Quintus and the elder girls to the schoolroom. Harry stands up and says there are matters he should be about. My little treasure snuggles up to me and looks very hopefull at my chocolate cup, her own being quite empty.

She is about finishing my chocolate for me when comes Patty, saying that sure she should be taking that naughty girl to the nursery. Flora clings to me with a stubborn look. Patty looks at her very fond and says, sure, she loves her aunty! Is she no bother to you I will leave her with you a little.

Indeed this is most entire agreeable to me, tho’ I am not entire sure that Docket and Sophy enjoy making my morning toilette while she runs about saying, what is this or that, and offering to get into things. But at length I am dresst and ready to face the day, and take her hand so that we may go downstairs to the family room.

There I find my dearest at her desk about business, and we smile at one another. She rings a bell and a maid comes very shortly after with a nice little breakfast upon a tray.

I sit down to eat it and Flora comes squeeze in next to me on my chair to help me dispose of it. Eliza laughs. Sure she knows who she may wind around her little finger!

But not, says I, so far as to let her drink my coffee. Sure cannot be good for one so young.

Flora goes pout somewhat but is mollify’d with a fine butter’d pikelet.

Eliza looks at us very fond. Flora gives me a buttery kiss, then wriggles herself down to the floor and runs across to give the like to Eliza, who picks her up and hugs her.

O, they are both quite my entire heart’s darlings.

Comes in Josiah, and Flora quite immediate runs to him and is swung up high as she giggles.

And now, says Eliza, 'tis high time she was convey’d to the nursery.

Flora looks over her shoulder at me and says, tiger!

O, says I, I am a full tiger that has just had breakfast, 'tis not my time of day to chase little girls.

Josiah carrys her out, tho’ she continues to look back hopefull that I may still go be her tiger.

O, says I, 'tis just as well that I am not always there to spoil her, for I am sure I should.

As if we do not! says Eliza.

I go fetch my traveling desk so that I may feel that I am not entire idle. Sure there is a deal of correspondence sits upon my pretty desk at home, but I have notes enough in my little memorandum book of matters that I should be getting about.

My darling and I thus work away together in amiable silence, occasional looking up to smile at one another.

After a while we hear the sound of Meg at her piano practice. Eliza stands up and says she will go be about household matters for a while. As we are alone we kiss before she goes.

I look out of the window into the garden and observe that Bess goes practice battledore.

I close up my desk and go to the schoolroom, where I find Miss N- hearing Quintus read, which he does exceeding well.

She looks extreme pleas’d to see me, and after Quintus has come to the end of the passage, says now he may go practice his hand-writing by copying it out upon his slate.

We withdraw to the other end of the room. I ask how she does and she says, o, very well, but that of course she greatly longs to hear how Ellie does in the antipodes. Mr L- writes very often and says that the paper does exceeding well.

She then says, there is just one thing: he is very mind’d to occasional have some piece about ladies’ fashions, because 'tis an excellent thing that encourages drapers and haberdashers and milliners and such-like to take advertizements if they suppose that ladies will be reading. She does not feel that she has the talent for such, but thought that Lady B- might know of someone?

Why, says I, I will go think over the matter.

You are always so well-turn’d-out, she adds a little wistfull.

Sure, says I, 'tis why one keeps a crack lady’s maid.

I turn the subject to ask how Bess and Meg do. She says that Bess is come to the volatile age, but at least she does not become silly as girls at that time can be. And Meg continues to be most conscientious at piano-practice, sometimes she will have to go chase her to go play in the garden for healthfull recreation.

And I can see, says I raising my voice a little, that you have an excellent young scholar in Quintus!

Oh, indeed, she says. And when we return to R- House Josh will be joining us in the schoolroom.

Quintus comes up with his copying and I take my leave.

I go into the garden and find Bess, that is patting the shuttlecock about. How now, says I, how do you?

She sighs and says, she does not know whether Mama will have told me, she has come to womanhood and 'tis a most exceeding tiresome thing. And she goes get spots.

Why, says I, I daresay Docket will have some lotion or wash most usefull for such cases, I will go ask her.

Bess sighs again and says she supposes she will have go behave as a proper young lady, which has ever struck her as excessive tedious, they are not permitt’d to do anything that is fun anymore.

O my dear, says I, there will still be your wont’d enjoyments such as riding, and the theatre, and dancing-class. Sure, you are not bound for a convent. And in a year or so you will make your come-out and have the Season –

Bess wrinkles her nose.

- which I confide you will like more than you suppose, do you not treat it as a contest in which a young lady must catch a fine husband. There is indeed no haste in the matter.

Bess looks as tho’ she would say something but does not.

Indeed, 'tis as much a matter of making acquaintance with other young women, and you already have a fine start with the friendship of Her Grace.

O, cries Bess, have you seen her at all? Have you seen the baby again?

So I go tell her about Viola and little Cathy.