acquainted with political and social matters that are commonly but little studied by persons of her age and sex she took an interest in them indeed which was almost and the usual might have been well described as of the world although not in it however was not easy to her for she was far too natural to be self conscious and she found that in writing of herself to mr � which she felt it due to him to do � she had undertaken a difficult task she withheld from him in ignorance much that it was important to him to know but only ii one thing did she him � i am afraid she wrote that i have no imagination � a statement which had its consequences she made it in all simplicity but as a matter of fact she had often amused herself � having no other means of � by imagining an elizabeth dart in quite other circumstances than her real ones and surrounded by beings of her own creation as different from her acquaintances in the flesh as fancy could form them of this practice she had anything but a high opinion and in fact was ashamed of it it came imder the of and was to be discouraged in conclusion miss dart made no apology for these details upon her correspondent � for had he not requested them of her � but though giving her london address she begged him to spare himself the trouble of a reply you given me at least as m ic i i as is good for me wrote and there is no ie t � as as a new will not produce a harvest though whether it be worth the it will be for you to judge by that morning s post the copy of the containing miss dart s paper arrived at the look out and in spite of her protest was read aloud by to the rest i had no idea what an interesting place we lived in was mrs s remark on it my picture does not strike you then as very like the original observed miss dart not on the whole perhaps a very happy but she was with a sense of embarrassment from which no young author whose work is the subject of discussion in her own presence can be wholly free nay i think it is more like than the original was the reply you have made me recognise beauties in its dear old face which had hitherto escaped me and i seem to love it in consequence more than ever let us have no more criticism after that said triumphantly mrs h� gone to the root of the matter it was hardly possible to go wrong with such materials observed miss dart modestly even a who is bo fortunate as to find the best ready to his practised hand must turn out something to be admired there is always the marble and i am sure but for you mr one half of my sketch at least would not have been written you have touched nothing my dear young lady that you have not adorned answered the not gallantly but in tones of quiet conviction what do you think i am thinking if the writer of that delightful paper is a sighed what am i considering the quarter from which it comes � a gentleman who writes himself as says remarked clapping his hands i think that ought to content you miss dart can no further go it may be thought that the approval of private friends upon a literary effort does not count for much but at all events it is a rare kind of praise if a prophet is held in small honour among his own an author is commonly held in no honour at au tho i y ra f � n or bis immediate t j � ki the heir of the ages merit it is only when it has received public recognition that they swell the note of praise it seems curious even to themselves that though they lived next door they never knew this man before a good many first works it is true have been if their author is to be believed at the request of friends but that is at least as often the offspring of imagination as the productions themselves in the present case these critics on the hearth though they were but three were unusually representative the the poet and mrs each belonged to a very different class from the others and their common opinion was therefore all the more indeed had she remained at there would have been reason to fear for miss dart at the very outset of her career the unhappy fate which only too often the of letters � under the of an admiring to become ashes in which his fires do not live the dangerous ordeal was however in her case very brief and the flattery of the little circle was soon forgotten in its kindness the of parting with her friends was far greater than it had seemed the day before when she had been going on a shorter journey and to dwell with those who had a near connection with themselves she might now be bidding them good bye for ever the farewell interview between and herself was affectionate and even tender but their talk was not of one another he spoke of his love for mary and of its in a manner that her heart yet she could not but rejoice that he had so spoken to her � it was the highest compliment she felt that friendship could pay mrs embraced her with tears and kisses if good wishes were a burden she would have sunk under the load who was she and what had she done she asked of herself to be treated with such confidence and affection at the railway station 