Page:Memoirs of the Lady Hester Stanhope.djvu/246

 from the title—see what an example he was! It was predestined that he should arrive at greatness, although, when the news was brought him that he was come to the title, he had not money enough to pay for a post-chaise: but nothing could hinder what his good star was to bring him. Lady Suffolk, the daughter of a clergyman of a hundred a-year, was a very clever, shrewd woman, and filled her elevated station admirably."

I have embodied thus much in Lady Hester Stanhope's own words of what may give a tolerable idea of her notion of planetary influence. What her own star was may be gathered from what she said one day, when, having dwelt a long time on this, her favourite subject, she got up from the sofa, and, approaching the window, she called me to her—"Look," said she, "at the pupil of my eyes; there! my star is the sun—all sun—it is in my eyes: when the sun is a person's star, it attracts everything." I looked, and replied that I saw a rim of yellow round the pupil.—"A rim!" cried she; "it isn't a rim—it's a sun; there's a disk, and from it go rays all round: 'tis no more a rim than you are. Nobody has got eyes like mine."