I am sorry to find that I must skip Friday and Saturday, thereby omitting an account of an interesting ball at Mrs. ----'s, where the floors were duly chalked, the music very good, the women very lovely, and where I fell in again with my dear kinsman, whom I love devotedly, and whom I jumped half across a quadrille to greet with extended hands, which must greatly have edified the whole assembly. Likewise I must skip a most interesting account of a second polemical conversation with ----; in the course of which, to my great amazement, he managed to introduce a most vehement abuse of Dr. ----, whose admiration of my singing appears to have troubled him fully as much as the doctrine of original sin,--together with many other things worthy of note, which shall now die in oblivion, and the times return unenlightened to their graves. _Sunday, 23d._ Was only dressed in time to swallow two mouthfuls of breakfast, and get ready for church. ---- came to know at what time we would ride, and walked with us to the church door. * * * * * * * * * * After church, came home,--habited; went and sat with Mrs. ---- till half-past one. The villanous servants did not think fit to announce the horses till they had been at the door full half an hour, so that when we started it was near two o'clock. D---- seemed quite at her ease upon her gangling charger, and I had gotten up upon Mr. ----'s big horse, to see what I could make of him. The day was beautifully bright and clear, with a warm blessed sunshine causing the wintry world to smile. We had proceeded more than halfway to Laurel Hill without event, when, driving my heavy-shouldered brute at a bank, instead of lifting up his feet, he thought fit to stumble, fall, and fling me very comfortably off upon the mound. I sprang up neither hurt nor frightened, shook my habit, tightened my girths, and mounted again; when we set off, much refreshed by this little incident, which occasioned a world of mirth and many saucy speeches from my companions to me. At Laurel Hill the master of the house came bowing forth with the utmost courteousness to meet me, expressing his profound sense of the honour I did him in deigning to inhale the air around his abode, and his unspeakable anguish at having been absent when I had so far condescended before. He was a foreigner,--French or Italian, or _such like_,--which accounts for his civility. Had the horses taken to the stable, and their girths slackened. D---- kept the heights, and ---- and I ran, slipped, slid, and scrambled down to the water's edge. The river was frozen over, not, however, strongly enough to bear much, and every jutting rock was hung with pure glittering icicles that shone like jewels in the bright sunshine. Far down the river all was still and lonely, and bright, yet wintry-looking. The flow of the water and its plashing music were still;