MARRIAGE A-LA-MODE. 



idea of the beauteous unknown, save when some porter's burden 

 brought its nuisance into the neighbourhood of my eye, or an unfore- 

 seen passenger roused me by the shock of passing collision. Oh ! 

 that fair concentration of nature's best attributes ! Shall I describe 

 her ? A height, which just touched the point of dignity, and went 

 not a hair's breadth beyond a form, which no sculptured modifi- 

 cation of Phidian marble had presented a rival to eyes of an intense 

 azure lips of a pure carnation complexion, lustrous as a vernal at- 

 mosphere looks, heaven's own interpreters and hair (I am parti- 

 cular in hair), of that hue which is the attributes of Phcebus's locks, 

 which is most reflective of glorious light, which is most participant 

 of gorgeous gold I mean auburn; such were her native charms 

 charms which no dress could enhance, and, therefore, I will riot dwell 

 upon her dress. Her voice my ears had caught a few tones of its 

 silver effusion might have defeated the opium-eater's impression of 

 the syren, Grassini. To my raptured fancy, every object I had seen 

 in connexion with her acquired a more elevated character : the re- 

 spectable pair who accompanied her appeared like a couple of supe- 

 rior intelligences ; the hackney-coach, from which she had descended, 

 seemed to brighten into a similitude of Cinderella's fairy-chariot ; and 

 the very rabble, who had beset the doors, acquired a semblance of 

 higher station and more harmonious demeanour. 



I have never been able fully to explain to myself, why I did not go 

 back after I reached my lodgings, and try, in re-considered costume, 

 to place myself in contiguity with the object of my sudden but fixed 

 adoration. I did commence laying out some matters from my ward- 

 robe ; but a baneful doubt, the blight of genial impulses, checked my 

 hand and chilled my purpose. Why should so honest a thing as love 

 be diffident ? I know not ; but I put back my " purple and fine linen" 

 into their lavendered places, took up my flute, and walked not to 

 the scene of enchantment, but to my club in Billiter-lane. 



I was usually the life and centre of this little civic knot of practising 

 musicians, and, I will say, was instrumental in qualifying oftentimes, 

 into something not absolutely shocking to humanity, the distempered 

 sounds which they jointly emitted, in common, perhaps, with such 

 amateur societies generally. That evening, however, I was as dull as 

 a dromedary, while my flute, 



" Straining harsh discords and unpleasing sharps," 



was as dissonant as the best of them. Even Mr. Cheekes, our cla- 

 rionet-player (who was always out of tune), complained of me for 

 violation of harmony, and taxed me with " spoiling the effect." The 

 horn-player, too, a German of the name of Puffenclorf, who was him- 

 self invariably a quarter of a tone flat, had the impertinence to " blow 

 me up." This roused my temper : I told the mal-administrator of 

 the horn that he was a fellow of brazen habits, and below what he 

 pretended to ; and I am afraid I forgot myself so far as to threaten to 

 " knock the wind out of him." A " suspended harmony" was the 

 result for the evening, leaving me to return home with my head full 

 of anger ; for in my heart there was no room for it, owing to the fair 

 image that held full possession there. 



