Her apartment is at some distance from
the other inhabited parts of the house; and consists of a dining-room,
bedchamber, and study; she keeps a cook maid, a waiting-woman, and
footman, of her own, and seldom eats or converses with any of the
family but her niece, who is a very lovely creature, and humours
her aunt often to the prejudice of her own health by sitting up
with her whole nights together; for your mistress is too much of
a philosopher to be swayed by the custom of the world, and never
sleeps nor eats like other people. Among other odd notions, she
professes the principles of Rosicrucius, and believes the earth,
air, and sea, are inhabited by invisible beings, with whom it
is possible for the human species to entertain correspondence and
intimacy, on the easy condition of living chaste. As she hopes one
day to be admitted into an acquaintance of this kind, she no sooner
heard of me and my cat, than she paid me a visit, with a view,
as she has since owned, to be introduced to my familiar; and was
greatly mortified to find herself disappointed in her expectation.
Being by this visionary turn of mind abstracted as it were from
the world, she cannot advert to the common occurrences of life;
and therefore is frequently so absent as to commit very strange
mistakes and extravagancies, which you will do well to rectify and
repair, as your prudence shall suggest.
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