HERE was not a finer woman in England than ong cousin Georgiana. She had a dark es hand, a good figure, pretty as and, in consequence of the patronized Dizzi and Bochsa, until harp might have excited the whee King David himself. When I alabar sessed a very respectable independent property my wadd will, I am sure, place implicit essence ni m MY COUSIN GEORGIANA. BY J. W. THOMS. "Oh, she loved the bold dragoons, With their broadswords, saddles, bridles, &c." OLD SONG. "She'll be a soldier too; she'll to the wars." SHAKSPEARE'S HENRY IV. HERE was not a finer woman in England than my cousin Georgiana. She had a dark eye and a white hand, a good figure, pretty ankle, and well-turned arm; and, in consequence of the latter gift of nature, had patronized Dizzi and Bochsa, until her performance on the harp might have excited the admiration and envy of King David himself. When I add that Georgiana possessed a very respectable independent property, my readers will, I am sure, place implicit credence in my assertion, that, had I not been aware of her positive determination never to marry a civilian, I should long since have sought to convince her of the euphony of my patronymic, and have used my best powers of eloquence to induce her to change her maiden denomination of Georgiana Dashwood into the more musical and matronly one of Mrs. George Frederick Augustus Higginbottom. But I knew her predilection for the "dear delightful military," and therefore, to spare her the pain, and myself the mortification, consequent upon a refusal, I did not pop. Her admiration of the "gallant defenders of their country," as she called all the military of her acquaintance, whether regulars, militia, volunteers, or yeomanry, was in fact a passion. She talked of them, she dreamed of them, she lived but for them. Her inclination was evident in her conversation, in her costume, and more especially in the fitting up of her boudoir, where, in the place of puling love-sick poets, and pastoral valleys sacred to love in cottages, battle pieces and grim-visaged warriors graced the walls. It was indeed the beau ideal of the boudoir of a colonel's lady, and such Georgiana hoped one day to see it. Consequently, her flirtations were innumerable and incessant; her list of lovers was but another version of the army list; an army list, as it were, upon the peace establishment. But I will do Georgiana the justice to say that she was discreet in her advances; that she displayed good generalship in her attacks on the hearts of the warriors. In fact, the intensity of her admiration was regulated by the rank of its object; her love for a captain was great, but for a major, major. What an event in the life of our martial-spirited heroine was a field-day! What a day to be marked with a white stone was a review! Then, as regularly as if she belonged to the staff of the general in command, "The lady left her peaceful dwelling, And after a long and sportive warfare with the heroes under review, in which eyes, sighs, sandwiches, and champagne, were marshalled against crosses, orders, and Waterloo medals, she returned home to dream of little Cupids rendered decent by uniforms, and furnished with epaulettes instead of wings, and regulation small-swords instead of arrows. Year after year passed in this unprofitable way, and, in spite of the ingenuity with which her plans were laid, Georgiana regularly returned to her winter quarters without succeeding in the grand object of her campaign,— namely, winning a husband. The subalterns were afraid. to look up to her, the colonels and staff officers too proud to look down upon her, and for some seasons she remained without an offer. At length an Irish major, who claimed acquaintance with her on the strength of having served in the fortieth, whilst her cousin Charles was in the thirtyninth, ventured to throw himself at her feet in the character of her avowed admirer, and would certainly have been accepted, and raised by the hand of the modern Bellona, but that, with the peculiar modesty so inherent in natives of what O'Connell once called "the first flower of the earth, and first gem of the sea," he accompanied his protestations of love by inquiries, which the lady deemed too minute, into the nature of her property. Georgiana's delicacy was offended (a fact which excited considerable surprise in the mind of the major), and accordingly she reversed the order in which the word of command is generally given, and before the bold Milesian had completed his "address," in hopes to "stand at ease" in the good opinion of the fair |