48 MRS. FRY. 



seated at the table with the Book before 

 her. She rose to receive us. An air of 

 placid benevolence illumined a counte- 

 nance that had not yet given up all 

 pretensions to meridian beauty ; and the 

 serenity of her brow gave a sort of hal- 

 lowed expression to eyes that beamed 

 with intelligence. Her attitude, and the 

 solemn dignity of her demeanour, with 

 the command she at once took of my 

 senses, reminded me for a moment of Mrs. 

 Siddons ; and altogether I felt as if in the 

 presence of a being of a superior order.* 

 A smile of gracious affability sat upon 

 her lip as she asked us to be seated; 

 she then stated, that, as chance had 

 thrown us together that evening, she 

 thought a few words from the Book of 

 Life would not be unacceptable. She 

 now read a few verses from that por- 

 tion of St. John's Gospel which enjoins 

 brotherly love ; then, in a mild, unaf- 



* This female was the late Mrs. Fry. 



