THE MANSE AND ITS INMATES. 523 



iiig the famed Bartholemew. Then Mr. Hurst was a subscriber, or 

 an agent, or liad interest, and they were regular attendants at the 

 lectures in the Royal Institution, Albemarle Street, the Surrey, 

 Blackfriars Road, and at every other place where lectures were de- 

 livered and ladies admitted. These, and more than can be enume- 

 rated, occupied the day till it was time to dress for dinner. They 

 dined at five, and, excepting; on such occasions as when Mr. and Mrs. 

 Hurst spent the evening from home — the only ones in which poor 

 Ruth enjoyed any thing like freedom, though even then she was 

 not alone, as Miss Harriot and Miss Charlotte had not yet " come 

 out," consequently did not visit — the remaining hours before bed-time 

 were spent in the drawing-room. 



It was well for Ruth that she had no voice, otherwise she would 

 certainly have been under the necessity of singing herself into aeon- 

 sumption. As it was, her usefulness was abundantly called into re- 

 quisition : she was to give music to whoever asked for it ; play 

 quadrilles and country dances the whole evening, if there were peo- 

 ple desirous of dancing them ; take a hand at whist or join in a round 

 game; sit down to cribbage, draughts, or backgammon ; or talk to 

 any one who wished to talk to her. 



Several of these accomplishments were new to Ruth, but the plea 

 of ignorance availed her little ; she must learn, every one was willing 

 to teach her, and " she could never learn younger." 



As Hatty and Shatty neither went to parties nor assemblies, their 

 parents indulged the "poor things ''by taking them pretty nearly 

 every where else. Mr. Hurst had, at some time or other, been pro- 

 fessionally employed in the squabbles of all, or nearly all, the theatres 

 in London, patent or minor. This had brought him acquainted with 

 managers and actors ; and, though he prudently avoided introducing 

 them to the society of his daughters, he could always command 

 orders, and never failed making large parties for benefits — an easy 

 matter to a man who had. four married daughters. Thus they saw 

 nearly every new play and every new performer. 



In vain did Ruth on some of these occasions plead to be left at 

 home. Mrs. Hurst fancied that she was nervous and low spirited, 

 and that amusement would do her good. They visited the Opera 

 House twice, and there she was indeed delighted. Her musical taste 

 was better cultivated than her literary. Concerts she likewise en- 

 joyed, but they did not attend them very frequently. She had, how- 

 ever, the gi-atification of hearing Handel's music in the Cathedral of 

 St. Paul, at the anniversary of the benefit of the sons of the clergy; 

 and of !)eliolding, in the same place, the beautiful spectacle of the 

 assembled children of the numerous parochial schools. 



Sunday was no Sabbath to Ruth, unless it deserved that name by 

 some hours of additional sleep. On that hallowed, or ought to be 

 hallowed day, it was only required of her and her pupils that they 

 should appear at the breakfast table at ten o'clock, dressed for church, 

 as far as related to house costume. 



Nothing proved so forcibly, in a girl of Ruth's disposition and 

 habits, the exhausting nature of this life as the fact that on these pri- 

 vileged mornings she slept to the last moment, so as to dress, if that 



