Detraction Displayed

esman; but, even on these occasions, the bitterness of the rivalry must be in proportion to the closeness of the competition. " When Greek meets Greek tben comes the tug of war." The peeress will be, comparatively, indifferent to the consciousness that her entertainment was inferior in splendour and excellence to that of her country or city rivals; nor will the latter be mortified at hearing of the superior attractions of the fete given by the peeress. But, if the peeress be outshone by a rival peeress, and the country lady and rich citizen's wife be eclipsed by party givers of their own rank in life, then the unsuccessful competition leads to particular envy, andthat envy, most probably, vents itself in detraction. But, though particular as well as general competition as certainly takes place in a metropolis as in a provincial residence, it is more common in the narrow circle of a country town, and its neighbourhood. Competition in giving a dinner, and in the excellence as well as number of tbe dishes, is never so powerful perhaps as in a bounded oircleand it is rarely that professed dinner- givers there admit that they ever see, or eat, an elegant and good dinner any where but at their own table; not that they are at all to be pitied on this occasion; for the pain of eating ill-dressed viands is not to be weighed in the balance against the satisfaction with which the dinner-giver utters, ' it was certainly not such a dinner as I should have given!" T...