Aunt Jenny, who even then was a most beautiful woman, though
somewhat advanced in life. To the close of her life, she had
the finest eyes and teeth I ever saw, and though she could be
sufficiently sharp when she had a mind, her general behavior
was genteel and ladylike. However this might be, I derived a
great deal of curious information from George Constable, both
at this early period, and afterwards. He was constantly
philandering about my aunt, and of course very kind to me. He
was the first person who told me about Falstaff and Hotspur,
and other characters in Shakespeare. What idea I annexed to
them I know not; but I must have annexed some, for I remember
quite well being interested on the subject. Indeed, I rather
suspect that children derive impulses of a powerful and
important kind in hearing things which they cannot entirely
comprehend; and therefore, that to write _down_ to children's
understanding is a mistake: set them on the scent, and let
them puzzle it out. To return to George Constable, I knew him
well at a much later period. He used always to dine at my
father's house of a Sunday, and was authorized to turn the
conversation out of the austere and Calvinistic tone, which
it usually maintained on that day, upon subjects of history
or auld langsyne. He remembered the forty-five, and told many
excellent stories, all with a strong dash of a peculiar
caustic humor.

George's sworn ally as a brother antiquary was John Davidson,
then Keeper of the Signet; and I remember his flattering and
compelling me to go to dine there. A writer's apprentice with
the Keeper of the Signet, whose least officer kept us in
order!--It was an awful event. Thither, however, I went with
some secret expectation of a scantling of good claret. Mr. D.
had a son whose taste inclined him to the army, to which his
father, who had designed him for the Bar, gave a most
unwilling consent. He was at this time a young officer, and
he and I, leaving the two seniors to proceed in their chat as
they pleased, never once opened our mouths either to them or
each other. The Pragmatic Sanction happened unfortunately to
become