The Book of Household Management by Mrs. Beeton

mistress and her family. A gossiping acquaintance, who indulges in the scandal and ridicule of her neighbours, should be avoided as a pestilence. It is likewise all-necessary to beware, as Thomson sings, "The whisper'd tale, That, like the fabling Nile, no fountain knows;-- Fair-laced Deceit, whose wily, conscious aye Ne'er looks direct; the tongue that licks the dust But, when it safely dares, as prompt to sting." If the duties of a family do not sufficiently occupy the time of a mistress, society should be formed of such a kind as will tend to the mutual interchange of general and interesting information.