 be in an uproar. - This was a very disagreeable
piece of news to the virtuosi, who protested she would stuff her ears with
cotton when she went to bed, and take a dose of opium to make her sleep the more
sound, that she might not be disturbed and distracted by the clamour of the
brutes.
    When their dinner was over, I and my fellow-servants sat down to ours in the
kitchen, where I understood that Sir Timothy Thicket was a wealthy knight in the
neighbourhood, between whom and Narcissa a match had been projected by her
brother, who proposed at the same time to espouse Sir Timothy's sister; by which
means, as their fortunes were pretty equal, the young ladies would be provided
for, and their brothers be never the poorer; but that the ladies did not concur
in the scheme, each of them entertaining a hearty contempt for the person
allotted to her for a husband, by this agreement. - This information begat in me
a mortal aversion to Sir Timothy, whom I looked upon as my rival, and cursed in
my heart for his presumption. - Next morning by day-break, being awaked by the
noise of the hunters and hounds, I got up to view the cavalcade, and had a sight
of my competitor, whose accomplishments (the estate excluded) did not seem
brilliant enough to give me much uneasiness with respect to Narcissa, who, I
flattered myself, was not to be won by such qualifications as he was master of,
either as to person or mind. - My mistress, notwithstanding her precaution, was
so much disturbed by her nephew's company, that she did not rise till five
o'clock in the afternoon: So that I had an opportunity of examining her study at
leisure, to which I was strongly prompted by my curiosity. - Here I found a
thousand scraps of her own poetry, consisting of three, four, ten, twelve and
twenty lines, on an infinity of subjects, which, as whim inspired, she had
begun, without constancy or capacity to bring to any degree of composition: But
what was very extraordinary in a female poet, there was not the least mention
made of love in any of her performances. - I counted fragments of five
tragedies, the titles of which were, »The stern Philosopher. - The double
Murder. - The sacrilegious Traitor. - The fall of Lucifer; - And the Last Day.«
From whence I gathered, that her disposition was gloomy, and her imagination
delighted with objects of horror. - Her library was composed of the
