I became a belle from my first ball, and was soon
almost wearied with conquests that caused me no effort. One evening I met
Mr. Winthrop. My chaperone, the following day, gave me a detailed history
of himself and fortune, and recommended me to secure him for a husband.
I resolved to bring him to my feet, reserving the privilege of accepting
or not, as I chose. I subsequently found, in order to meet him, it was
necessary for me to forsake, occasionally, the ball-room, and to
frequent, in its stead, the concert and lecture hall. By degrees I gained
his notice, and the very difficulty of winning him made the task all the
more congenial. Like you, I developed a fondness for literature, and, in
order the more quickly to gain the desired knowledge, I consulted
dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and hired private tutors to cram me with
poetry, history, and information generally of art and its manufacturers.
At first I could see he was more amused than fascinated at my shallow
acquirements. But gradually my personal charms, rather than mental,
conquered his proud reserve, and the glance of his eye came to express
more than mere amusement at my exhibitions of knowledge, or cold
admiration for the beauty I strove more than ever to heighten. If I found
him hard to conquer, the exultation when my task was achieved was
correspondingly great, while I knew his judgment rebelled against giving
his love to one his inferior in those things he best esteemed. But, to
skip a long bit of the story, we were engaged and the marriage day set;
but as our intimacy ripened, the conviction grew upon me that I should
have a master as well as husband; and I made the discovery, before very
long, that the greater part of our time was to be passed at Oaklands,
since the solitude best suited his literary tastes.
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