Walking by the side of my Aunt's chair, and giving orders to the tradespeople in the morning; walking beside the same chair and blowing up the tradespeople for not having carried out the orders, in the afternoon; sitting in a hot room from five to nine o'clock, then lying awake till midnight, listening to the drawing-room young lady singing Italian and German songs out of tune, and with an English accent.

Only think of the horrors of a house without a queenYawning servants, negligent housekeepers, extorting tradespeople,these and a thousand other annoyances, for which you have no relief, because you cannot stoop to meddle or make in such transactionsare the agitations which perpetually infest the domestic commonwealth of a bachelor.

She never screwed down a dependent; never kept small tradespeople waiting for their money; never refused a reasonable request.

"'This struck me as very strange, because he had always managed his business and paid the tradespeople himself.