tournure, the value of which she was always inculcating on her pupils: "La Grace plus belle que la beauté," was invariably the quotation when putting on her shawl; and, it must be confessed, that never did five English girls put on shawls to such perfection. In that point, at least, their education was complete. Her taste in dress was exquisite, and bitter were her lamentations over the dark stuff dresses and the green veils to which the younger Granards were condemned. Information she had none, and principle never even crossed her mind as a rule of action—"c'est charmant," or "c'est de mauvais gout," constituted her sole idea of praise or blame.
In one thing she was unlike Lady Anne, for she affected sentiment; and the sympathies of her young pupils were early awakened on behalf of Malvine and Mathilde. Mademoiselle Virginie always set the example of weeping; she had an idea that tears were feminine and becoming, and les malheurs d'un cœur sensible made up a much larger portion of her conversation than Lady Anne would either have under stood or approved. "Les aimables sympathies" were the last things in the world that she would have tolerated.
The first week went off well enough; the mornings were past in hearing histories told by Mademoiselle to the honour and glory of her own beaux yeux, in divers fancy works, a few pages of Rollin, and then a good many pages from Mathilde. The lady then stated that she had some old friends just come to
