At Mrs. Clifford's we stayed some days--a beautiful country, not far from Ross which we visited, and Maria was delighted to see all the scenes of the Man of Ross. At Mrs. Clifford's we had one day of most brilliant conversation between Maria, her father, and Sir James Macintosh, who had just come into that neighbourhood. He joined us, unexpectedly, one morning as we were walking out, and touching a shawl Mrs. Clifford wore, "A thousand looms," he said, "are at work in Cashmere at this instant providing these for you." MARIA _to_ MRS. MARY SNEYD AT EDGEWORTHSTOWN. MRS. CLIFFORD'S, _June 1813._ _Saturday Evening._ Received Sneyd's letter. [Footnote: Announcing his engagement to Miss Broadhurst. It was singular that this was the name of the heroine in Miss Edgeworth's _Absentee_, who selected from her lovers the one who united _worth_ and wit, in reminiscence of an epigram of Mr. Edgeworth on himself, concluding-- There's an edge to his wit and there's worth in his heart.] Astonishment! Dear Sneyd, I hope he will be as happy as love and fortune can make him. All my ideas are thrown into such confusion by this letter that I _can_ no more. We go to Derby on Tuesday. To MRS. RUXTON. EDGEWORTHSTOWN, _July 26, 1813._ I have delayed a few days writing to you in the expectation of the arrival of two frankers to send an extract from Dr. Holland's last letter, which will, I hope, entertain you as much as it entertained us. I shall long to hear of our good friend Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton's visit to Black Castle. We have every reason to be in great anxiety at this moment about a certain trunk containing all our worldly _duds_, and "Patronage" to boot, but still I have not been able to work myself into any fears about it, though it is a month since we ought to have seen it, nor have we heard any news of it. In the meantime, as I cannot set about revising "Patronage," I have begun a new series of _Early Lessons_ [Footnote: The second parts of _Frank, Rosamond_, and _Harry and Lucy._] for which many mothers told me they wished. I feel that I return with fresh pleasure to literary work from having been so long idle, and I have a famishing appetite for reading. All that we saw in London, I am sure I enjoyed while it was passing as much as possible, but I should be very sorry to live in that whirling vortex, and I find my taste and conviction confirmed on my return to my natural friends and my dear home.