THE LITTLE TEA BOOK 



these journals there are frequent al- 

 lusions to tea-parties and china. At 

 these gatherings, poets and dilletante 

 literary gentlemen read their verses 

 and essays to the ladies, who criticised 

 their merits. These " literary teas " 

 became so contagious that a burning 

 desire for authorship took possession 

 of the ladies, for among those who 

 made their debut as authors about 

 this time were Fanny Burney, Mrs. 

 Alphra Behn, Mrs. Manley, the 

 Countess of Winchelsea, and a host 

 of others. 



One of the readers of the Spectator 

 wrote as follows : 



" Mr. Spectator : Your paper is a 

 part of my tea-equipage, and my ser- 

 vant knows my humor so well that, 

 calling for my breakfast this morn- 

 ing (it being past my usual hour), 



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