Oh, Kitty! if you could but have heard the tone of winning softness with which she uttered words simple as these. But, indeed, the real charm of manner is to invest commonplaces with interest, and impart to the mere nothings of intercourse a kind of fictitious value and importance. She congratulated us so heartily on travelling _without_ a courier,--the very thing we were at the moment ashamed of, and that mamma was trying all manner of artifices to conceal. "It is so sensible of you," said she, "so independent, and shows that you thoroughly understand the Continent. Travelling as _I_ do,"--there was a sorrowful tenderness as she said this, that brought the tears to my eyes,--"travelling as I do,"--she paused, and only resumed after a moment of difficulty,--"a courier is indispensable; but _you_ have no such necessity." "And Grégoire apparently wants to show you how well you could do without him," cried Lord George. "He has gone on to Bonn, and left you here to your destiny." "Oh, but he is such a good, careful old creature," said she, "that, though he _does_ make fearful mistakes, I cannot be angry with him." "It's very kind of you to say so," resumed he; "but if _I_ told him that I meant to stop at Cologne, and _he_ went forward to order rooms at Bonn, I 'd break his neck when we met." "Then I assure you I shall do no such thing," added she, taking off her gloves, as if to show how unsuited her beautifully taper fingers, all glittering with gems, would be to any such occupation. "And now you 'll have to wait here for Fordyce?" said he, half angrily. "Of course I shall!" said she, with a sweet smile. Lord George made some rejoinder, but I could not hear it, to this; and so, Kitty, we all determined that instead of at once setting out for Bonn, we should stay and dine with Mrs. Gore Hampton, and not leave her till evening,--a kindness at which she really seemed overjoyed, thanking each of us again and again for our "dear good-nature." And now, Kitty, I have just left her to hasten off these lines by post hour. My heart is yet fluttering with the delight of her charming conversation, and my hand trembles as I write myself Your ever attached and fascinated friend, Mart Anne Dodd. Hôtel de l'Empereur, Cologne. P. S. Mrs. G. H. has just slipped, into my dressing-room to say that she is so sorry that we are going away; that she feels as if we were actually old friends already. She has, evidently, some secret sorrow; would that I knew how to console her! We are to write to each other; but I am not to show her letters to Cary: this she made an express stipulation. She thinks Cary "a sweet girl, but volatile;" and I believe, Kitty, that there is something of levity in her character, which is its greatest defect. LETTER XVI. KENNY I. DODD TO THOMAS PURCELL, ESQ., OF THE ORANGE, BRUFF