Chapter I: Preface

The author addresses her readers in these words, by way of Preface to the Second Volume of FERN LEAVES:—

“Six months since, I was in a deplorable state of ignorance as to the most felicitous style in which I could address my readers; at this lapse of time I find myself not a whit wiser. You will permit me, therefore, in pressing again your kindly hands, simply to say, that I hope my second offering of FERN LEAVES will be more worthy of your acceptance than the first.”

To this the Publishers of the English edition need only add, that the great popularity which this and the preceding series of FERN LEAVES have attained, both in England and America, has induced them to enter into arrangements with the proprietors of the copyright, whereby the present edition of this work might obtain the benefit of the author’s sanction and revision. To say anything by way of recommending so well-known a writer as the sister of N. P. Willis is quite unnecessary—the acute knowledge of the world, the womanly pathos and sympathy for the poor and neglected, the genial, almost masculine, sense of humour and force of language, the fearless expression of opinion, and the true wit and genius displayed in these Leaves from Fanny’s Portfolio, cannot fail to ensure for them a large and sympathising audience among the British public.

AMEN CORNER, PATERNOSTER ROW,
_August, 1854_.

CONTENTS.

PAGE
Shadows and Sunbeams 1
Aunt Hepsy 18
Thoughts at Church 21
The Brothers 23
Curious Things 28
The Advantage of a House in a Fashionable Square 29
Winter is Coming 36
The other Sex 38
Soliloquy of Mr. Broadbrim 40
Willy Grey 41
Tabitha Tompkins’ Soliloquy 54
Soliloquy of a Housemaid 57
Critics 59
Forgetful Husbands 60
Summer Friends 61
How the Wires are Pulled 62
Who would be the Last Man? 65
Only a Cousin 66
The Calm of Death 68
Mrs. Adolphus Smith sporting the Blue Stocking 69
Cecile Vray 70
Sam Smith’s Soliloquy 71
Love and Duty 75
A False Proverb 79
A Model Husband 80
How is it? 81
A Morning Ramble 83
Hour-Glass Thoughts 86
Sober Husbands 87
Boarding-House Experience 88
A Grumble from the (H) altar 93
A Wick-ed Paragraph 94
Mistaken Philanthropy 95
Insignificant Love 97
A Model Married Man 99
Meditations of Paul Pry, jun. 100
Sunshine and Young Mothers 102
Uncle Ben’s attack of Spring Fever, and How Cured 103
The Aged Minister voted a Dismission 106
The Fatal Marriage 108
A Matrimonial Reverie 112
Frances Sargeant Osgood 113
A Punch at “Punch” 116
Best Things 117
The Vestry Meeting 119
A Broadway Shop Reverie 122
The Old Woman 124
Sunday Morning at the Dibdins 126
Items of Travel 128
Newspaper-dom 130
Have we any Men among us? 132
How to cure the Blues 134
Rain in the City 136
Mrs. Weasel’s Husband 138
Country Sunday _v._ City Sunday 140
Our Street 142
When you are Angry 147
Little Bessie 148
The Delights of Visiting 151
Helen Haven’s Happy New Year 153
Dollars and Dimes 157
Our Nelly 158
Study Men, not Books 161
Murder of the Innocents 163
American Ladies 166
The Stray Sheep 167
The Fashionable Preacher 170
Cash 172
Only a Child 174
Mr. Pipkin’s idea of Family Retrenchment 175
A Chapter for Nice Old Farmers 177
Madame Rouillon’s Mourning Saloon 179
Fashion in Funerals 180
Household Tyrants 182
Women and Money 184
The Sick Bachelor 186
A Mother’s Influence 188
Mr. Punch mistaken 193
Fern Musings 194
The Time to Choose 196
Spring is Coming 197
Steamboat Sights and Reflections 199
A Gotham Reverie 201
Sickness in the City and Country 202
Hungry Husbands 205
Light and Shadow 207
What Love will Accomplish 209
Mrs. Grumble’s Soliloquy 212
Henry Ward Beecher 214
An Old Maid’s Decision 217
Father Taylor, the Sailor’s Preacher 219
Signs of the Times 222
Whom does it concern? 225
Who Loves a Rainy Day? 230
A Conscientious Young Man 233
City Scenes and City Life, No. 1 234
Do. do. 2 238
Do. do. 3 242
Do do. 4 245
Two Pictures 248
Feminine Waiters at Hotels 250
Letter to the Empress Eugenia 252
Music in the Natural Way 254
For Ladies that go Shopping 255
The Old Merchant wants a Situation 259
A Moving Tale 261
This Side and That 267
Mrs. Zebedee Smith’s Philosophy 270
A Lance Couched for the Children 272
A Chapter on Housekeeping 273
A Fern Reverie 275
A Brown Study 278
Incidents at the Five Points House of Industry 280
Apollo Hyacinth 286
Spoiled Little Boy 288
Barnum’s Museum 289
Nancy Pry’s Soliloquy 292
For Little Children 293

SHADOWS AND SUNBEAMS;
Being a Second Series of “Fern Leaves.”