The Merry Past 



to the assemblies held eagerly bought tickets. The 

 success of the evening, however, was marred by a 

 lady who, standing by a set in which her daughter 

 was taking part, resented some unfavourable com- 

 ments passed by a neighbour, who said the dancing 

 was bad. " That's a lie ! " shouted the proud mother, 

 in answer to which the gentleman very ungallantly 

 gave her a box on the ears, or rather on her lofty 

 head-dress, a cloud of powder from which covered 

 all who were near. The ladles screamed, the music 

 and dancing stopped, and the harmony of the evening 

 being destroyed, the company separated in very bad 

 humour, as a consequence of which poor Le Mercier 

 did not repeat his experiment. 



The regular assemblies at the London Tavern were 

 only frequented by the higher class of citizens, none 

 being admitted even as visitors who were concerned 

 in any kind of trade but banking or exportation. 

 This was a source of great mortification to many 

 ambitious tradesmen's wives, who, in consequence, 

 established a rival " New London Assembly '* in 

 Cateaton Street. 



When the fashion of diaphanous dress had reached 

 England from France, many fashionable women 

 carried it to an extreme, as they frankly admitted. 



" Don't tread upon my muslin gown," said a 

 young lady to her partner in the warmth of her 

 dancing heart at a ball. " You see that I have no- 

 thing under it." 



Eccentricity of female dress, however, reached its 

 highest pitch in 1803, when three Parisian beauties, 



271 



