360 STUDIES OF NAtURE. 



officers, who were prifoners there in the laft war. 

 It is cuftomary, then, for the young ladies of the 

 fame fociety to invite each other, by turns, to af- 

 femblies, which they call coffee parties. They are 

 generally kept on Thurfdays. They go, accom- 

 panied by their mothers, to the apartments of 

 her who has given the invitation. She treats them 

 with creamed coffee, and every kind of paftry and 

 comfits, prepared by her own hand. She prefents 

 them, in the very depth of Winter, with fruits of 

 all forts, preferved in fugar, in colours, in verdure, 

 and in perfume, apparently as frefli as if they were 

 hanging on the tree. She receives from her com- 

 panions thoufands of compliments, which (he re- 

 pays with intereft. 



But, by and by, (he difplays other talents. 

 Sometimes (he unrols a large piece of tapeftry, on 

 which (he labours night and day, and exhibits fo- 

 refts of willows, always green, which (he herfelf has 

 planted, and rivulets of mohair, which (he has fet 

 a-flowing with her needle. At other times, (he 

 weds her voice to the founds of a harpiichord, and 

 feems to have colledled into her chamber all the 

 fongfters of the grove. She requefts her compa- 

 nions to fing in their turn. Then it is you hear 

 clogium upon elogium. The mothers, enraptured 

 with delight, applaud themfelves in fecret, like 

 Niobe^ on the praifes given to their daughters : 



Vertentant 



