310 Life of Count Rumford. 



charmed by a performance of this lady's on the piano, assem- 

 bling her two cherubs, Therese, about six, and Andrew, about 

 eight, to assist, as she pretended, in singing. The performance 

 of the children was novel and pleasing, inspiring me with a wish, 

 as was intended, to unite my weak assistance, the Countess 

 knowing I understood music a little. In short, the plan took. 

 I told the Countess, if she would allow me, I would play and 

 sing a little song of which I knew the first verse. 



'Tell me, babbling echo, why 

 You return me sigh for sigh ? 

 When I of slighted love complain, 

 Thou delight's! to mock my pain.' 



After which I played 'God save the King ' in character, that is 

 to say, in a thumping manner, and attempted * Washington's 

 March, but failed, my sum total in music. I was praised, 

 beyond measure, and, thus encouraged, decided to take Miss 

 Veratzy as teacher. 



" Twenty-four hours had elapsed before either the Countess 

 or myself were informed of the arrival of my father. His trav- 

 elling companions making a little stop to pay him a visit, we 

 were not sought after. The system of the great world seeming 

 to be c not to let the right hand know what the left hand 

 doeth,' perhaps that was the reason. In the less cultivated 

 climes of America, in case of visits of the great and respectable 

 the whole neighborhood even would have been summoned to 

 help out in making things agreeable. The Countess and I were, 

 however, invited on the evening of the second day to partake 

 of the usual supper of chocolate. We were both thankful and 

 glad to see my father again, the Countess, from an angelic 

 temper of forgiveness ; and I, from the natural love of a child 

 to a parent. After the most prominent incidents of the journey, 

 such as my father thought proper to communicate, the conver- 

 sation turned on my consenting to take teachers, on my intro- 

 duction to Dillis, and my thinking of turning my attention to 

 music, in short, my receiving lessons from the said Miss Veratzy. 

 In order to profit as much as possible from this unusual docility, 

 my father began talking about the beauties of the Italian Ian- 



