Nevertheless, they trod the earth firmly, as girls who felt that they were born to a certain position.

Judge Ferguson was a gentleman of the old school, devoted to past ideas, fond of the English classics, and with small faith in any literature later than Dr.Johnson.He confessed to a toleration for Scott's novels, and had been detected by his children both laughing and crying over the stories of Charles Dickens; for the amiable weaknesses of human nature still remain in the best regulated mind.
To women and children, the judge was benignity itself, imitating the Grand Monarque, who bowed even to a chambermaid.

He believed in good, orderly, respectable, old ways and entertainments, and had a quiet horror of all that is loud or noisy or pretentious; which sometimes made his social duties a trial to him, as was the case in regard to the Seymour party.
The arrangements of the party, including the preparations for an extensive illumination of the grounds, and fireworks, were on so unusual a scale as to rouse the whole community of Springdale to a fever of excitement; of course, the Wilcoxes and the Lennoxes were astonished and disgusted.

When had it been known that any of their set had done any thing of the kind?
How horribly out of taste! Just the result of John Seymour's marrying into that class of society! Mrs.
Lennox was of opinion that she ought not to go.

She was of the determined and spicy order of human beings, and often, like a certain French countess, felt disposed to thank Heaven that she generally succeeded in being rude when the occasion required.