Tales and Miscellaneous Pieces Author:Maria Edgeworth Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: MANCEUVRING. CHAPTER I. " And gave her words, where oily Flatt'ry lays The pleasing colours of the art of praise." Parjj Ell. Note From Mrs. Beaumon... more »t To Miss Wal- SINGHAM. " I Am more grieved than I can express, my dearest miss Walsingham, by a cruel cmitre-temps, which must prevent my indulging myself in the long-promised and long-expected pleasure of being at your fete de famille on Tuesday, to celebrate your dear father's birthday. I trust, however, to your conciliating goodness, my kind young friend, to represent my distress properly to Mr. Walsingham. Make him sensible, I conjure you, that my heart is with you all, and assure him that this is no common apology. Indeed, I never employ such artifices with my friends; to them, and to you in particular, my dear, I always speak with perfect frankness and candour.Amelia, with whom, entre nous, you are more a favourite than ever, is so much vexed and mortified by this disappointment, that I see I shall not be restored to favour till I can fix a day for going to you: yet when that may be, circumstances, which I should not feel myself quite justified in mentioning, will not permit me to decide. " Kindest regards and affectionate remembrances to all your dear circle. Any news of the young captain ? Any hopes of his return from sea ? Ever with perfect truth, my dearest miss Walsingham's sincere friend, Eugenia Beaumont. " P. S. Private—read to yourself. " To be candid with you, my dear young friend, my secret reason for denying myself the pleasure of Tuesday's fete is, that I have just heard that there is a shocking chicken-pox in the village near you; and I confess it is one of my weaknesses to dread even the bare rumour of such a thing, on account of my Amelia : but I should not wish to have this ment...« less