Consciousness of unquestioned position makes people gracious in proper measure to all; but if a woman puts on airs with her real equals, she has something about herself or her family she is ashamed of, or ought to be.

Middle, and more than middle-aged people, who know family histories, generally see through it.

An official of standing was rude to me once.

Oh, that is the maternal grandfather,--said a wise old friend to me,--he was a boor .-- Better too few words, from the woman we love, than too many: while she is silent, Nature is working for her; while she talks, she is working for herself .-- Love is sparingly soluble in the words of men; therefore they speak much of it; but one syllable of woman's speech can dissolve more of it than a man's heart can hold.
-- Whether I said any or all of these things to the schoolmistress, or not,--whether I stole them out of Lord Bacon,--whether I cribbed them from Balzac,--whether I dipped them from the ocean of Tupperian wisdom,--or whether I have just found them in my head, laid there by that solemn fowl, Experience, (who, according to my observation, cackles oftener than she drops real live eggs,) I cannot say.

Wise men have said more foolish things,--and foolish men, I don't doubt, have said as wise things.