56 LIFE OF 



ditarily. The early and excessive labour to which girls are 

 subjected in acquiring skill in music, has long appeared to me 

 to operate very injuriously upon their constitution and form. 

 The roses in young ladies' cheeks, if unchanged, would, I do not 

 doubt, appear much less bright to my eyes now than they did 

 half a century ago : indeed, I am sure that it is so ; for I recol- 

 lect perfectly well, that when I was a child, the plumage of the 

 breasts of the male chaffinches appeared to me nearly as bright 

 as those of the male bullfinch now do ; but I can distinguish 

 straight from crooked now, as well as I could do at any period 

 of my life ; and I am quite certain that the hollow 7 , sunken 

 chests presented by many of the young ladies of the present 

 day of the affluent and highly-cultivated classes were not as 

 common, or nearly so, sixty years ago, as they now are ; and I 

 have heard on good authority, that such flat and sunken chests 

 are not seen among the less educated girls of Ireland. With 

 us the ears and fingers of girls are exercised, not their minds 

 rationally exerted and amused ; and I cannot avoid believing 

 that the offspring of such parents are often born without the 

 power of thinking deeply. I have heard it remarked by a very 

 sensible countryman of yours, that among families which have 

 long lived in affluence and been highly educated, a hundred 

 men of quick parts would be found for one deep reasoner. 



" I beg to assure you, that I felt very highly gratified by the 

 belief that your very short visit to Downton proved agreeable to 

 you ; and Mrs. Knight, and the other parts of my family who 

 had the pleasure to meet you here, have begged me strongly to 

 express their hopes and wishes that you will soon repeat it, and 

 for a longer period. I cannot but feel highly flattered and gra- 

 tified by the published account you were so kind as to send me 

 of your visit to me, but I fear that your friendship has led you 

 to speak much more favourably of me than I deserve. 



" I am much inclined to doubt whether any phrenologist, by 

 examining the exterior form of our heads, would be able to de- 

 cide that our minds resembled each other, as I think they do, 

 and as my family all thought. I have heard several people 



