On the occasion of her attending the concert at the Musical Fund Hall, she wore a new and elegant dress. The fabric was very delicate, as was also the color. In descending the stairs, at the close of the concert, she felt herself suddenly drawn back, and on turning around quickly, saw that a young woman, a stranger, had stepped upon this dress. Her first thought was, that it was both torn and soiled, and the exclamation, “Gracious, girl!” dropped from her lips as an expression of surprise at the carelessness of the strangers. The annoyance she felt prevented her from accepting the apology that was instantly offered, and caused her to reject it in the ungracious manner we have seen. But a few minutes only elapsed before a better state of mind came, and then she was deeply mortified at her unlady-like conduct, and would have given almost anything could she have recalled the hasty words that had fallen from her lips.
“It will be a lesson to me,” she said to herself, as she sat brooding over the incident, after her return home that evening. “I am too apt to speak from the impulse of the moment, and too prone to speak unkindly on slight provocation.”
On the next day, Mrs. Lindley received a letter from a very particular friend in New York, in which was mentioned the fact that a highly accomplished young lady, belonging to one of the best families in the city, was then on a visit to Philadelphia.
“Miss Herbert,” said the letter, “is a sweet girl, and I number her among my choicest friends. I have frequently spoken to her of you, and she has expressed a wish to make your acquaintance. She will remain at Jones’s Hotel for a week. Will you not call upon her, and show her some attentions, for my sake? I know you will like her very much; she is the favorite of every one. Among all my friends here, I know of no one to whom I am more attached. She is so kind, so gentle, so unselfish, so wise for one of her age. Make her acquaintance, by all means.”
“For your sake, if for no other, I will do so,” said Mrs. Lindley, as she closed the letter. “And as Miss Herbert is only going to spend a few days in Philadelphia, I will call upon her at once.”
And so Mrs. Lindley dressed herself that very morning, and called at Jones’s, to see her friend’s particular friend. She found her quite a young lady, simple in her style of dressing, slightly reserved at first, yet easy in her manners. Five minutes had passed before Mrs. Lindley was entirely at home with her.
“When did you arrive in our city?” inquired Mrs. Lindley, soon after they met.
“I came on day before yesterday,” was replied.
“Will your stay be short?”
“I shall leave in a few days, for the South, where I intend spending the winter.”