 or, to speak it more
tenderly, used every art to magnify the merit of her daughter. If the cakes at
tea eat short and crisp, they were made by Olivia: if the gooseberry wine was
well knit, the gooseberries were of her gathering: it was her fingers which gave
the pickles their peculiar green; and in the composition of a pudding, it was
her judgment that mix'd the ingredients. Then the poor woman would sometimes
tell the 'Squire, that she thought him and Olivia extremely of a size, and would
bid both stand up to see which was tallest. These instances of cunning, which
she thought impenetrable, yet which every body saw through, were very pleasing
to our benefactor, who gave every day some new proofs of his passion, which
though they had not arisen to proposals of marriage, yet we thought fell but
little short of it; and his slowness was attributed sometimes to native
bashfulness, and sometimes to his fear of offending his uncle. An occurrence,
however, which happened soon after, put it beyond a doubt that he designed to
become one of our family, my wife even regarded it as an absolute promise.
    My wife and daughters happening to return a visit to neighbour
Flamborough's, found that family had lately got their pictures drawn by a
limner, who travelled the country, and took likenesses for fifteen shillings a
head. As this family and ours had long a sort of rivalry in point of taste, our
spirit took the alarm at this stolen march upon us, and notwithstanding all I
could say, and I said much, it was resolved that we should have our pictures
done too. Having, therefore, engaged the limner, for what could I do? our next
deliberation was to shew the superiority of our taste in the attitudes. As for
our neighbour's family, there were seven of them, and they were drawn with seven
oranges, a thing quite out of taste, no variety in life, no composition in the
world. We desired to have something in a brighter style, and, after many
debates, at length came to an unanimous resolution of being drawn together, in
one large historical family piece. This would be cheaper, since one frame would
serve for all, and it would be infinitely more genteel; for all families of any
taste were now drawn in the same manner. As we did not immediately recollect an
historical subject to hit us, we were contented each with being drawn as
independent historical figures. My wife desired to be represented as Venus, and
the painter was desired not to
