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room to invite me!)  Sending my card up by the attendant
darkey, I was shewn into a stylish sitting room, where were
some dozen persons, and presently down came my lady.   First
she apologized for not receiving me in her room, saying there
were visitors &c. �That means I�m not to stay long!�said
I. �Oh! I hope you won�t think that! &c &c� said she, run-
ning on as usual.      Then she spoke of the Bleecker St folks;
pitied Mrs Potter, wanted to back bite Mrs Church, talked against
Leslie, spoke slightingly of Pierce, praised her present abode,
wished I�d come and board there � �It was only $10.� � recoun-
ted her conquests (!) professed that she was �perfectly delighted�
at meeting me at the Opera, declared that she had looked for
me in order to propose a promenade, that she had cut the
man who took her there and when I saw her was walking
with another.     Mingled with all this was her usual amount
of folly, half real and half affected good-humour, and ever-
predominant desire of admiration.    I talked half complimentary
and half impertinent.        There was playing and singing going
on.    Presently in walks a gentleman and bids Mrs G a
rather stiff good-night. (He was one of her cavaliers, from
above � she had doubtless left him promising to return in five
minutes!)       Then �wouldn�t I come up stairs.� Certainly I would.
Miss Lizzie Petit (Southerner and authoress of a novel or two),
a male admirer, and the boy Gladdy in the room.   Mrs G
doing her utmost in the way of fascination, and, as usual,
horribly over doing it � I chaffing, cutting jokes and complimenting,
� insomuch that Miss Lizzie and her companion were some-
times amused into joining the conversation, anon dropping into 
tete a tete, the lady reclining in free and easy attitude, on the