"Ah, hackneyed, my dear girl--terribly hackneyed; but, of course, I don't mean to discourage you. _Now I_--I draw a life-picture, and I call it 'The River.' See how it begins--why, I declare I know the words by heart, '_As our eyes rest on this clear and limpid stream, as we see the sun sparkle_----' My dear Hester, you shall read me my essay aloud. I shall like to hear my own words from your lips, and you have really a pretty accent, dear."