Mr. Brown,
himself,--and me!--for I find all endeavors vain to escape anything
which these people desire I should not.

There were twenty disputes previous to our setting out; first as to the
_time_ of our going: Mr. Branghton, his son, and young Brown, were for
six o'clock, and all the ladies and Mr. Smith were for eight;--the
latter, however, conquered. Then as to the _way_ we should go: some were
for a boat, others for a coach, and Mr. Branghton himself was for
walking; but the boat at length was decided upon. Indeed, this was the
only part of the expedition that was agreeable to me; for the Thames was
delightfully pleasant.

The garden is very pretty, but too formal; I should have been better
pleased had it consisted less of straight walks, where

"Grove nods at grove, each alley has its brother."

The trees, the numerous lights, and the company in the circle round the
orchestra make a most brilliant and gay appearance; and had I been with
a party less disagreeable to me, I should have thought it a place formed
for animation and pleasure. There was a concert, in the course of which
a hautbois concerto was so charmingly played that I could have thought
myself upon enchanted ground, had I had spirits more gentle to associate
with. The hautbois in the open air is heavenly.

Mr. Smith endeavored to attach himself to me, with such officious
assiduity and impertinent freedom that he quite sickened me. Indeed, M.
Du Bois was the only man of the party to whom, voluntarily, I ever
addressed myself. He is civil and respectful, and I have found nobody
else so since I left Howard Grove. His English is very bad; but I prefer
it to speaking French myself, which I dare not venture to do. I converse
with him frequently, both to disengage myself from others and to oblige
Madame Duval, who is always pleased when he is attended to.

As we were walking about the orchestra, I heard a bell ring; and in a
moment Mr. Smith, flying up to me, caught my hand, and with a motion too
quick to be resisted, ran away with me many yards before I had breath to
ask his meaning; though I struggled as well as I could to get from him.
At last, however, I insisted upon stopping. "Stopping, ma'am!" cried he,
"why, we must run on, or we shall lose the cascade!"

And then again he hurried me away, mixing with a crowd of people, all
running with so much velocity that I could not imagine what had raised
such an alarm. We were soon followed by the re