A rocking chair was to her a delightful novelty and she had
already bought six large rocking chairs of wickerwork. She was sitting
in one and busily swaying back and forward and said: "Here I do repose
myself and I take these chairs home with me and when de gentlemen and
de ladies do come to see me in Florence, I do show them how to repose
themselves."
Suddenly she looked at me and began to laugh immoderately. "Oh," she
explained, seeing my puzzled expression, "I deed think of you as so
_deeferent_, I deed think you were very tall and theen, with leetle,
wiggly curls on each side of your face."
She evidently had in mind the typical old maid with gimlet ringlets!
So we sat and rocked and laughed, for I was equally surprised to meet
a person so "different" from my romantic ideal. Like the two Irishmen,
who chancing to meet were each mistaken in the identity of the other.
As one of them put it, "We looked at each other and, faith, it turned
out to be nayther of us."
The Princess Massalsky sent to Mrs. Oliver and myself valuable tokens
of her regard as souvenirs.
CHAPTER VII
Elected to be the First President of New Hampshire Daughters in
Massachusetts and New Hampshire--Now Honorary President--Kind Words
which I Highly Value--Three, but not "of a Kind"--A Strictly Family
Affair--Two Favourite Poems--Breezy Meadows.
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