CHAP. XVI.

The family use art, which is oppofed with

W

ftill greater.

HATEVER might have been Sophia's fenfations, the rest of the family was easily confoled for Mr. Burchell's abfence by the company of our landlord, whofe vifits now became more frequent and longer. Though he had been disappointed in procuring my daughters the amusements of the town, as he defigned, he took every opportunity of fupplying them with those little recreations which our retirement would admit of. He ufually came in the morning, and while my fon and I followed our occupations abroad, he fat with the family at home, and amused them by describing the town, with every part

part of which he was particularly acquainted. He could repeat all the observations that were retailed in the atmosphere of the play-houses, and had all the good things of the high wits by rote long before they made way into the jeft books. The intervals between conversation were employed in teaching my daughters piquet, or fometimes in fetting my two little ones to box to make them sharp, as he called it: but the hopes of having him for a fon-in-law, in fome measure blinded us to all his imperfections. It must be owned that my wife laid a thoufand schemes to entrap him, or, to speak it more tenderly, used every art to magnify the merit of her daughter. If the cakes at tea eat short and crifp, they were made by Olivia; if the gooseberry wine was well knit, the gooseberries were of her gathering it was her fingers which gave the pickles their peculiar green; and in the compofition of a pudding, it was her judgment that mixed the ingredients. Then the poor woman would fometimes tell the 'Squire, that she thought him and Olivia extremely

extremely of a fize, and would bid both ftand up to fee which was tallest. These inftances of cunning, which the thought impenetrable, yet which every body faw through, were very pleasing to our benefactor, who gave every day fome new proofs of his paffion, which though they had not arisen to proposals of marriage, yet we thought fell but little fhort of it; and his flowness was attributed fometimes to native bashfulness, and fometimes to his fear of offending his uncle. An occurrence, however, which happened foon after, put it beyond a doubt, that he defigned to become one of our family; my wife even regarded it as an abfolute promise.

My wife and daughters happening to return a vifit to neighbour Flamborough's, found that family had lately got their pictures drawn by a limner, who travelled the country, and took likeneffes for fifteen fhillings a head. As this family and ours had long a fort of rivalry in point of taste, our spirit took the alarm at this ftolen march

upon

upon us, and notwithstanding all I could fay, and I faid much, it was refolved that we should have our pictures done too. Having, therefore, engaged the limner, for what could I do? our next deliberation was to fhew the fuperiority of our taste in the attitudes. As for our neighbour's family, there were seven of them, and they were drawn with seven oranges, a thing quite out of taste, no variety in life, no compofition in the world. We defired to have fomething in a brighter ftyle, and after many debates, at length came to a unanimous refolution of being drawn together, in one large historical family piece. This would be cheaper, fince one frame would ferve for all, and it would be infinitely more genteel; for all families of any tafte were now drawn in the fame manner. we did not immediately recollect an historical fubject to hit us, we were contented each with being drawn as independent hiftorical figures. My wife defired to be represented as Venus, and the painter was defired not to be too frugal of his dia

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