In a few minutes more she was in her carriage on the way to the French play. When she came into the box, she found it empty, and the play begun. Lady Tenderden was not arrived; and by the time she had cast a glance round the house, bowed to some of her acquaintance, and settled her shawls, &c., she turned all her attention to the stage. It was a play which had collected a class of audience seldom frequenting that house; for it was one of those sterling comedies of Molière's, apart from his too frequent grossness, which, with the true legitimate intention of comedy, lashed the follies of the age for which it was written, and was not without its prototype in the present. _Les Précieuses Ridicules_ is a play that all unsophisticated natures must enjoy, even those who, as in the case of Lady Glenmore, were not acquainted with the times and the persons it was written to satirize; and she herself evinced the pleasure she derived from it, by laughing naturally and frequently. Her merry laugh called the observation of several persons, not accustomed to see pain, or pleasure, or amusement, ever expressed by any outward sign, and who attributed to the uneducated only such marks of unconstrained nature; but others, again, (some few), were pleased at any thing so unlike what they generally beheld; and it conveyed to _them_ a reflected sensation of freshness of enjoyment, such as they remembered to have felt when life was new, and before they were schooled by the false fastidious system of the world of ton, or _blazéd_ to the zest of pleasure. "What a pity," observed Lord Baskerville, speaking between his teeth, in his company voice, "that that very pretty Lady Glenmore should make herself so conspicuous."--He was in the Comtesse Leinsengen's box, within one of that in which Lady Glenmore was sitting. "Not at all," replied Mr. Spencer Newcombe; "she only draws attention; and one cannot look at a prettier woman." "_Peut-être_," said the Comtesse Leinsengen, "she does it for dat very purpose, and takes dis new way of being _distingué_." "Insufferable!" rejoined Lord Baskerville; "if she were as beautiful as an angel, she would disgust me with those _roturière_ manners." "I believe," said Mr. Leslie Winyard with a yawn, "that I must really take compassion on her, and give her some good advice on the subject of education." "_L'affaire est faite_," rejoined the comtesse, "if you take her _en main; mais tout est pour le mieux dans ce meilleur des mondes possibles_." Having thus settled the matter in Lady Tilney's box, Mr. Leslie Winyard proceeded to that of Lady Glenmore, there to commence his destined essay on education. "I am delighted," he said, "to see you in such good health, and so intent on immortalizing Molière. If he could only know what homage you are paying his talents in these expressions of your mirth, how delighted he would be!" "Hush," said Lady Glenmore, "I will talk presently; but now I want to listen to the play--it is so amusing."