The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-06-25 00:00:00

A LITTLE BIT OF SCANDAL.

A widow lady and her daughter lived for the last two years
at a village, about 20 leagues from Paris. The daughter was
young and very pretty, fond of gaiety, but eternally repining
that fate had cast her lot in a country village, instead of in
the great metropolis. The moiher reasoned with the ambi-
tious maid, and tried to convince her that with their mode-
rate means it was quite impossible to think of a Parisian es-
tablishment. The daughter would not be convinced, and the
fond mother was about to dispose of her little property, and
remove to Paris, when all of a sudden the little lady ap-
peared to reconsider the affair, and declared that she had
made up her mind to live happily in her humble home. She
became as much improved in temper as she was before trou-
blesome, spent her whole time in religious exercises, or in
study, and made her silly mother one of the happiest of old
fools. It was her custom, after breakfast and after dinner,
to retire to her own apartment, and it was with difficulty
that mamma 'could induce her to leave it to take a walk,
or accompany her in the necessary visits to their acquaint-
ance.

Things went on in this manner, until, one morning, made-
moiselle did not appear at the usual breakfast hour. The
mother became anxious, and, after waiting for some time,
proceeded to her daughter's room, and called out that the ta-
ble was waiting. No answer. Mamma knocked and cried
out again—still no answer. The house was alarmed, and
the servants tried the door—no answer. The neighbours
were called in—still no answer. Until at length the cham-
ber door was broken open, and there was the chamber in
statu quo, but its usual inmate was invisible. The bed and
bed-clothes were not disturbed. There was no disorder in
the apartment, and it was evident that it had not been occu-
pied the previous night.

This was a mystery to all the neighbours, but a subject of
great alarm to the poor mother, as the daughter's room com-
municated with her own, and it was impossible that the
young lady could have gone out without being observed. An
escape through the window was suggested, but, on examina-
tion, it was found that the windows were guarded by iron
bars, and it was clear that mademoiselle had passed either
through the key-hole or through the door, the latter being,
as we have shown, impossible. _ _

.
In this dilemma, as the absence of the young lady could
not be accounted for on any reasonable grounds, the gossips
of the neighbourhood determined that a supernatural agency
was at work. The old lady inclined to the same opinion,
and several devotees of her acquaintance confirmed her
sound judgment. It was agreed that Miss Adelaide had
been taken to another and a better world, for which her late
exemplary conduct had prepared her. This thought re-
lieved in some degree the affliction of the poor mother, and
though she grieved according to nature for a daughter's loss,
she reproached herself for repining that Adelaide was an
angel.
In this frame of mind two or three days elapsed, until, one
afternoon, the old lady heard a noise in the chamber of her
daughter ; and on asking, in great alarm, " Who was there ?"
was answered by the young maiden in her own proper voice
and proper per3on. This was a second miracle, and the
neighbours were again called in. The old devotee rejoiced
in her discrimination, and the whole country rang with the re-
turn of the young saint to the village. When particularly
questioned as to where she had been, Miss Adelaide did not
seem inclined to answer in a satisfactory manner. She as-
serted that she had never left the chamber, and contended
that her friends were made blind by the deceits of the father
of mischief. If she had been removed, it was without her
knowledge, as she was absent only in spirit among other
young ladies like herself, who were too good for this wicked
world.
When a young lady once takes a short cut to Heaven there
is every probability that she will repeat the visit, and so it fell
out that Miss Adelaide was frequently absent. She always
brought back the same story, and spoke in raptures of the
blessed society into which she was received. At length this
absence was extended fat\beyond the usual period. Three
days elapsed—then a week—then another—until the poor
mother was in absolute despair, and made up her mind that
her angel of a daughter had abandoned her and this world
altogether.
About this time an uncle from a distant province came to
visit his sister and niece, and laughed the old lady and her
pious companions to scorn, when they told her of the mi-
raculous disappearance of Miss Adelaide. He proceeded to
examine her chamber and finding no passage by which she
could go out, and return, he called in the aid of the mason
and carpenter, and desired them to solve the mystery for him:
The carpenter was not long before he cleared up the puzzle.
From closely inspecting a wardrobe, he found that it turned
on a pivot, and opened into a door way which had been con-
trived in the partition wall of the adjoining house.
This fact reduced the miraculous part of the affair to a very
narrow compass, and all the saintly gossips of the village
looked very silly when it was discovered that the apartment
into which the wardrobe resolved had been occupied by a very
handsome officer of dragoons. He came, it would appear, to
the village a short time before Miss Adelaide's fit of amuse-
ment and retirement commenced, and he left it for Paris on
the day when the young lady's long absence was remarked.
In narrating this escapade we must not do injustice to the
character of a very respectable lady, for if Miss Adelaide did
elope, it was only to be united to the husband of her choice ;
and if she did preserve a little more mystery than was neces-
sary, it was because his father was wealthy, and would oppose
the match. At present Captain and Madame de Lisle are
living in a handsome apartment in rue de Rivoli, and they
often laugh at the miraculous enlevement and " bit of scandal"
they caused in her navive village.

DESULTORY THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS.

BY THE COUNTESS OF BLESSINGTON.

MINDS.—The minds of the young resemble new wine in a
state of fermentation and effervescence ; but the minds of
the mature resemble old wine, which has lost its fiery par-
ticles, and retains only its strength and raciness.
CONFlDENCES.—Confidences are more frequently reposed
in persons through a want of discretion than from excess of
friendship, and are oftener betrayed through incontinency
of speech than from motives of treachery.
SUPERSTlTlON.—Superstition is but the fear of belief:
religion is the confidence.

INFTuNATtEs OF GENIUS.—The infirmities of genius are
often mistaken for its privileges.
STYLE.—To praise the style of an author more than his
thoughts, is like commending a woman for her dress more
than for her person. Style, like dress, should be appropri-
ate, and not detract attention from what it was meant to
adorn.

GREAT MEN.—Mountains appear more lofty, the nearer
they are approached ; but great men, to retain their altitude,
must only be viewed from a distance.
FRIENDS.—It requires sunshine to see our friends, for they
become invisible when our horizon is clouded.

DEATH.—When we have outlived our youth, we have lit-
tle tq regret in the death of our old age ; it is but the refuse
of a superannuated friend, who has outlived every other.

MARRIAGE.
How many in the wedded state we find
Wedded in person, but divorced in mind !
Unnatural union ! fraught as much with dread
As when the living chained were to the dead
By stern Mezentius ; yet more cruel he,
As many slaves of Hymen will agree ;
For but one victim suffered from the chain,
While wedlock wives to two an equal chain.
SOLITUDE.—In solitude we retain our own faults ; but in
society we superadd those of others.
SOCIETY AND SOLITUDE.—In society we learn to know
others, but in solitude we acquire a knowledge of self.
KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE.—A profound knowledge of life is
the least enviable of all species of knowledge, because it can
only be acquired by trials that make us regret the loss of our
ignorance.
COMMON MISTAKES.—The common herd of mankind
mistake anarchy for liberty, ostentation for generosity, pas-
sion for love, and vanity for pride.
POLITENESS.—A substitute for goodness of heart.
JUDGMENT OF WOMEN ON MEN.
Women are prone to judge their lovers' hearts
By by their own, which little semblance bath
With man's rough nature. Hence they love them for
The qualities they give them—not for those
They have, which rarely merit to be loved.
LOVE.—Love in France isacomedy ; in England a tragedy ;
in Italy an opera seria ; and in Germany a melo-drame.
MEN AND WOMEN.—A woman's head is always in-
fluenced by her heart; but a man's heart is generally in-
fluenced-by his head.
HAPPlNESS.—Happiness, like youth and Health, is rarely
appreciated until it is past.
BORES.—People who talk of themselves, when you are
thinking only of yourself.
SEVERITY TO OTHERS.—Some people seem to consider
the severity of their censures on the errors of others as an
atonement for their own.

HATRED.—We injure ourselves more than our enemies by
indulging hatred towards them.
COURAGE.—Courage defends the honour of man ; modesty
guards that of a woman.
HONOUR AND CHASTITY.—Honour is the peculiar and
essential virtue of men, and chastity that of women; both
are lost if these qualities are impeached.
AMUSING MEN.—We never respect those who amuse us,
however we smile at their comic powers. A considerable
distinction exists between the amusing and entertaining
man ; we laugh with one, and reflect the other.
MODESTY.—Modesty, the attendant of virtue, is fre-
quently mistaken for shame, which is one of the attributes of
vice.