LADIES’ SOCIETY. 
Ilia back witb tbe word written on it in large letters 
— ^‘unmarried” — for no wife would ever have per- 
mitted him to go out, without his great-coat. 
He will probably relate the story of the wild goose 
and partridge. Biit his friends will have their joke 
also, they will say, “ Well, you are not a wild goose, 
only a goose, and very tame one too ! ” The best 
way to treat him in this respect is rather to oppose 
and laugh at him, for all old planters are just ren- 
dered more obstinate and determined, Vv^hen opposed 
and contradicted. They have got into this way from 
the absolute supremacy they were accustomed neces- 
sarily to exercise over all and decision in carrying 
it out. No appeal from his decision, even remon- 
strance is treason, and now what does he experience ? 
His decision is pronounced utterly wrong, his re- 
monstrances laughed at. He is a traitor himself and 
to himself. It will thus happen that if you oppose 
and contradict him in anything you wish him to d®, 
he will be sure to do it ! 
If you see him particularly attentive to Miss Pretty, 
and you are glad that he is, laugh at him, as an 
old fool, tell him all Miss Pretty’s good points or 
rather the only nice quality she possesses is her name, 
a doll of a creature, a sensible man like him to make 
an ass of himself. If he joins in the joke and laughs, 
there is ‘‘nothing in it.” If on the contrary he fires 
up, and becomes very angry, says “Ass indeed, not 
such an ass as you think ! A man at his time of life 
might be permitted to choose his own society, and 
because he enjoys the society of Miss Pretty he does 
not see why his friends should be so rude as to 
say he was ‘ sweet/ on her,” he will calm down 
when you tell him he is quite right, you had no idea 
he was such a sensible man, and that you were only 
joking. If he continues “sweet” on Miss Pretty, 
and increases his attention, never mention the subject, 
or if you do, only as a subject scarcely worth men- 
tioning. The great probability is, that before very 
long he will mention the subject himself, as being 
all settled, and say, “ Was n’t I sly ? Nobody ever 
suspected it ! ” Of course, you not only suspected it 
but were positively sure. Humour him however, 
raise your hands in wonder. “Well, you are a cun- 
ning fellow ! Who would have thought it?” She 
thought you very much improved since you began 
to conform to the customs of the country. Now you 
are perfect, and capable of no further improvement, 
for you have wound up the whole in having made 
up your mind to conform to the grand custom, which 
has made the old country what it is, ‘ The land of 
honest men and bonnie lasses.’ But what a sell for 
