The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-12-09
A Oueer Party.

Dickens, in one of his letters, gives the fol-
lowing droll account of an evening spent with
some eccentric ladies. ''And now, sir, I will
describe modestly, tamely, literally, the visit
to the small select circle which / promised
should make your hair stand on end. In our
hotel were Lady A. and Lady B., mother and
daughter, who came to the Peschlere shortly
before we left it, and who have deep admir-
alton for your humble servant, the inmitable
B. They are both very clever. Lady B. ex-
tremely well-intormed in languages, living
and dead; books and gossip; very pretty;
with two little children, and not yet five and
twenty. Lady A. plump, fresh and rosy
matronly, but full Of spirits and good looks.
Nothing would serve them but we mast dine
with them; and accordingly, on Friday at six
we went down to their room. 1 knew them
to be rather odd. For instance, l have
known Lady A, full dressed, walk alone
through the streets of Genoa, the suualid
italian by streets, to the governors soiree
and announce herself at the palace of sta.e by
knocking at the door. i have also met Lady
B., full dressed, without any cap or bonnet.
walking mile to the opera, with al sorts of
tingling jewels about her, besides a sedan
chair in which sat her mamma, Consequent
ly, was not surprised at sach little sparkles
in the conversation (freA the young ladyl as
oh God what sefmon we had here last
SundayP And did you ever read such infer
nal trash as Mrs. Cores 2-and the like. Sill,
but for Kate and Georgy twho were decidedly
in the way, as we agreed afterwards), /
should have thought it was all very funny;
and, as it was, | threw the ball back again.
was mighty free and easy, made some rather
broad jokes, and was highly applauded. You
smoke, don't you?" said the younglady, in a
pause ofthis kind of conversation. Yes l
said, generally take a cigar after dinner
w / a oi >
said she, when we go up stairs, and there we
were Joined by an American lady resid-
ing in the same hotel, who looked like what
We call in old England "a regular Bunter, fluff
fy face (rougedl; considerable evelopmen of
figure; one groggy eye; bluesatin dress made
with low short sleeves, and shoes of the
same; and one eye not actually groggy, but
going to be. American lady married at six
teen; daughter sixteen now, often mistaken
for sisters, ETC., etc., ese. When that wss
over, Lady brought out cigar box, and
gave me cigar, made of negroheaa she
said, which would quell an elephant in six
Willis. Ihe box was full of cigarattes-good
large ones, made of pretty strong tobacco;
always smoke them here, and used to smoke
them at Genoa, and 1 knew them well. When
lighted my cigar, Lady B. lighted hers, at
mine; leaned against the mantlepieee, in
conversation with me; put out her stomach.
cooked up sideways and her cigarette smok.
ing away like Manchester mill, laughed and
talked, and smoked, in the most gentlessanly
manner l ever heheld. Lady A Immediately
lighted her Cigar; American lady Immediate
ly lighted hers; and in five minutes the room
was cloud of smoke, and us Sur in the CEN
tire fling away bravely. while American
lady related stories of her <Hookah' up stairs.
and described different kinds of pipes But
even this was not ali. For presently two
Frenchmen come ia, with whom, and the
American lady, Lady sat to whist. The
Frenchman smoked ofcourse they were real
" modest gentlemen and seemed disnaayed)
and Lady played for the next hour or two
with cigar continually in her mopth-never
out OF it. She certainly smoked six: or eight.
Lady a gave in soon-I think she. only dc il
OUT OF vanity. American lady had been
smoking all the morning, took no more;
to themselves, ''N ~ '~S