met. Mr. Ingram would listen to Mr. Damer by the half-hour as to the
virtue of the British Constitution, and had even sat by almost with
patience when Mr. Damer had expressed a doubt as to the good working of
the United States' scheme of policy,--which, in an American, was most
wonderful. But some of the sojourners at Shepheard's had observed that
Mr. Ingram was in the habit of talking with Miss Damer almost as much
as with her father, and argued from that, that fond as the young man
was of politics, he did sometimes turn his mind to other things also.

And then there was Miss Dawkins. Now Miss Dawkins was an important
person, both as to herself and as to her line of life, and she must be
described. She was, in the first place, an unprotected female of about
thirty years of age. As this is becoming an established profession,
setting itself up as it were in opposition to the old world idea that
women, like green peas, cannot come to perfection without supporting-
sticks, it will be understood at once what were Miss Dawkins's
sentiments. She considered--or at any rate so expressed herself--that
peas could grow very well without sticks, and could not only grow thus
unsupported, but could also make their way about the world without any
incumbrance of sticks whatsoever. She did not intend, she said, to
rival Ida Pfeiffer, seeing that she was attached in a moderate way to
bed and board, and was attached to society in a manner almost more than
moderate; but she had no idea of being prevented from seeing anything
she wished to see because she had neither father, nor husband, nor
brother available for the purpose of escort. She was a human creature,
with arms and legs, she said; and she intended to use them. And this
was all very well; but nevertheless she had a strong inclination to use
the arms and legs of other people when she could make them serviceable.

In person Miss Dawkins was not without attraction. I should exaggerate