How delightfully passed the days, the weeks! What merry excursions; fishing parties; riding parties, to the Indian Spring, the Cave, the Natural Bridge! What pleasant music, and tableaux, and dancing in the evenings! For the tableaux, we had only to open an old chest in the garret and help ourselves to rich embroidered, white and scarlet dresses, with other costumery worn by the grandmother of the family nearly a hundred years before, when her husband was in public life and she one of the queens of society. What sprightly "conversazioni" in our rooms at night--young girls _will_ become confidential and eloquent with each other at night, however reserved and quiet during the day! Late in the night these "conversazioni" continued, with puns and laughter, until checked by a certain young gentleman--now a minister--who was wont to bring out his flute in the flower garden under our windows, and give himself up for an hour or more to the most sentimental and touching strains, thus breaking in upon sprightly remarks and repartees, some of which are remembered to this day, especially one which ran thus: "Girls!" said one. "Would it not be charming if we could all take a trip together to Niagara?" "Well, why could we not?" was the response. "Oh!" replied another, "the idea of us poor Virginia girls taking a trip!" "Indeed," said one of the Grove Hill girls, "it would be impossible. For here are we on this immense estate, 4,000 acres, two large, handsome residences--and three hundred negroes--_considered_ wealthy, and yet to save our lives could not raise money enough for a trip to New York!" "Nor get a silk velvet cloak!" said her sister, laughing. "Yes," replied the other. "Girls! I have been longing and longing for a silk velvet cloak, but never could get the money to buy one. But last Sunday, at the village church, what should I see but one of the Joneses sweeping in with a long velvet cloak almost touching the floor! And you could set her father's house in our back hall! But then she is so fortunate as to own no negroes." "What a happy girl she must be!" cried a chorus of voices. "No negroes to support! _We_ could go to New York and Niagara, and have velvet cloaks too, if we only had no negroes to support! But all _our_ money goes to provide for them as soon as the crops are sold!" "Yes," said one of the Grove Hill girls; "here is our large house without an article of modern furniture. The parlor curtains are one hundred years old. The old fashioned mirrors and recess tables one hundred years old, and we long in vain for money to buy something new."