The New York Mirror Volume 1; A Weekly Gazette of Literature and the Fine Arts (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1824 Excerpt: ...in society what rank and fortune she pleases; provided she has--money enough. Without this latter qualification, I doubt whether the dull capacity of our calculating beaux, could clearly discern the extent of her merit. I hope I am mistaken; and whenever the beaux, by their disinterested conduct, shall prove that I am, I will quickly make them the " amend honourable." I had the fortune at the tea party, above mentioned, to be seated between a young gentlemen and a young lady, whose face was very beautiful. They were both strangers to me, and we knew nothing of each other, except our names, which we had learned by means of our fair hostess who had just introduced us. We sat sometime without speaking, when I discovered that both the young lady and gentleman showed signs of uneasiness. There is something excessively awkward in being seated in a large J company between strangers, and few persons who have not experience, and an acquaintance with the world, can remain long in such a situation, without feeling embarrassed, between a desire to be relieved by conversation, and a total ignorance what to say. Most people under such circumstances, in ordet to obtain relief, are very apt to say something extremely silly, like that simple Miss, who, when similarly placed, being incapable to maintain silence any longer, asked in her confusion, the gentleman who sat next to her, " if he had ever a father." The beautiful girl who sat next to me, displayed many similar symptoms of a desire to speak. She put her dear little, pretty looking countenance, into half a dozen attitudes, and fearing she would entirely spoil the symmetry of her features, with a view to save her, I opened the door of conversation by asking her if she had attended the Greek ball. Ju...