LADY MORGAN. 395 women in such caps as I brought over, with a profusion of lace, gold crosses, white gowns, and scarlet aprons. At four o'clock the ball began on the green. It is astonish- ing to see with what perfection men, women, and children dance the quadrilles, which are here called country dances, and how serious they all look. We left them hard at it, and retired to dinner at five. They all came up to the General to speak to him. He shook hands with all the old folk, and talked to them of their farms. It was one of the most delightful scenes you can imagine. My English dress excited great amazement, especially a long grey cloak I brought from London. In the evening there was (as there is every Sunday evening) a ball at the castle. After coffee we all went down to the hall, and there children, guests, masters, mistresses, and servants joined together in the dance, as they had done in the morning at prayers ; for there is a chapel belonging to the chateau, where the priest of the parish officiates. The serv- ants danced in the quadrilles — six femmes-de-chambre, and all the lacqueys. Oscar and Octavie, the two young ones, three and four years old, danced every quadrille, and never once were out ; in short, these scenes of innocence and gaiety and primitive manners are daily repeated." Lafayette himself, while the dancing went on, " stood looking on and leaning on his stick, the happiest of the happy." The books which Lady Morgan published during her married life — including the novels of "O'Donnel" and "Florence McCarthy" — were far more generally read than any of her previous works, with the exception of " The Wild Irish Girl." Her career was one of almost uninterrupted success and happiness, until the death of her husband in 1843. After that, although her wit and mirth remained to her, there was always a certain under-
