own taste and fancy � her biography in one of these the circumstance of her having been so long mistaken for one of the male sex was ascribed to a way she had in common with a great female in france of going about in men s clothes in another she was the daughter of an who had secretly married beneath him and had taken to light literature and pronounced opinions in revenge for his declining to acknowledge her as his legitimate offspring these flights of fancy were occasionally mingled with of truth one journal described her as a who had charmed the son of the house who had in consequence been discarded by his father her pen now maintained her husband � unhappily a ma who spent her magnificent in every description of another was compelled by a sense of public duty to give the statement which it had however received upon the beat for what it t neither the essays nor the novel of so m i � i e st v st own at the s composition but had been written by her old an who in total ignorance of their literary value had sold them to her for and twenty shillings the lot in consequence of this interesting information old and others sprang up like in various places in the country claiming their i and appealing to a public for a few shillings to keep life and soul together in genius wronged all this rubbish however only tended to raise higher and higher the flame of her the for for photographs for a few words in your own handwriting expressing a sentiment or for a quotation from your admirable works flowed in invitations to dinners to afternoon and even to from the most high placed � of the first rank � rained in upon her by every post not only were all the of literary in town eager to add her to their collection but even those of the provinces these latter indeed to whom the of their existence had probably a certain desperation were more audacious and than the others she was invited to half a dozen country seats by as many female whose apology for addressing her must be found they said in the fact that in the of the they recognised not only a genius � which indeed all the world acknowledged � but in the highest and noblest sense a friend if their of respect did not impress miss elizabeth dart quite so deeply as in some cases they were obviously expected to do they afforded her very considerable amusement as her address was unknown they were all addressed to her to be forwarded by the editor of the who most bitterly complained of the it was about the only thing in those days that had to complain of s love had renewed for him not indeed his youth � for he was still comparatively a young man � but that light hearted gaiety which fails and on our road through middle life as though the coming stupor of old age beheld from afar had us with its prospect one day with eyes that with fun he brought a letter to her of the kind which usually came in it was an envelope containing a dinner card k ss of the heir of the ages it is very kind of her said rather coldly but i don t see why it should not have been forwarded with the others the idea of his having made an exception in favour of her grace was very disagreeable to her she exceedingly resented the notion of patronage under any circumstances and that this example of it should have had the recommendation of her was particularly distasteful my dear she is a remonstrated it was very seldom that he could get a rise out of whose sense of humour was indeed much stronger than his own and he enjoyed his opportunity immensely at all events i have not the honour of her acquaintance was the reply that is why she seeks it i suppose i did not bring her invitation with the others as you call them because she herself me to place it in your hands oh she is a friend of your own is she exclaimed with an air of relief there is as much friendship between us as is possible between persons of such different positions in life i am sometimes asked to at homes at house we are not absolutely confidential though she sometimes bows to me quite sweetly in the park when there is no one looking you are going yourself however i suppose to this dinner i certainly not there is a reception in the evening however to which i am invited � you must remember my darling for looked very much that her grace is quite unaware of our engagement does she ask me then to come alone no she has very kindly included in the invitation i have another card here which i am to give her if you accept but not otherwise then i consider this lady exceedingly impertinent my dear she is a i shall certainly not go then i think you will make a mistake my love in my opinion you should never lose an opportunity of a new experience copy exclaimed with indignation i am not a newspaper � ow those grounds i should indeed be a fitting guest c ia � at the s my dear do be reasonable there is in the first place no obligation in the matter or if any it lies on her grace s side if her own admiration for genius is not very genuine you will meet others at her house of another i don t pretend that it will be a new world to you a palace a host of servants and an interminable dinner do not as is too commonly supposed constitute a paradise the 