444 MAUVAIS TON. 



the garden, whatever is done is well done. AVhere 

 the conduct of the family corresponds with their rank 

 in life, that of the servants will in theirs be upon the 

 same principle : where the master or family are scamp- 

 ish, the servants will be the same ; and we may fairly 

 describe those of such a man by saying, half the men 

 are rogues, and half the women something else. If 

 such heads of families knew the inferences dra-svn from 

 the conduct of their servants, they Avould be convinced 

 of the very bad taste they exhibit in tolerating the 

 existing insolence of demeanour of their people. Idle- 

 ness in a servant may be pardoned, because allowed 

 habit may have brought it on ; drunkenness may 

 be overlooked, if we have allowed bad example to 

 bring it on : even dishonesty, if it has arisen from 

 improper temptation having been left in the way ; but 

 impertinence in a servant to any one admits of no ex- 

 cuse. I am quite sure even the apparent trifling cir- 

 cumstance of permitting a certain style of dress con- 

 tributes towards it. I allow that a servant's hand 

 covered while waiting at table may be more congenial 

 to aristocratic eyes than one bare ; but surely white 

 kid gloves at 3^. 6c/., which can only be worn a very 

 few times, might (with a servant) be replaced by cot- 

 ton ones : and surelv stockings of the same material 

 would answer the purpose of silk ! Plaster your ser- 

 vant all over with worsted, silver, or gold lace, if such 

 is the taste of the master, and his wish to show gor- 

 geous and expensive liveries ; but what is worn by 

 the guest I cannot but consider improper for the ser- 

 vant. Give him stockings of silk, if you please, at a 

 guinea a pair, but let them be something like those of 

 the livery of the late Duke of St. Alban's (if I re- 

 member right), black with yellow clocks. This is the 



