the
acquaintance of your charming family. We feel as if we were old friends
already; indeed we do, General, if you will permit me the liberty of
saying so; and we love you, if I may be allowed to speak frankly, on
account of your friendship and kindness to our dear nephews: though we
were a little jealous, I own a little jealous of them, because they went
so often to see you. Often and often have I said to my Lady Warrington,
'My dear, why don't we make acquaintance with the General? Why don't we
ask him and his ladies to come over in a family way and dine with some
other plain country gentlefolks?' Carry my most sincere respects to
Mrs. Lambert, I pray, sir; and thank her for her goodness to these young
gentlemen. My own flesh and blood, sir; my dear, dear brother's boys!"
He passed his hand across his manly eyes: he was choking almost with
generous and affectionate emotion.

Whilst they were discoursing--George Warrington the while restraining
his laughter with admirable gravity--the door of the King's apartments
opened, and the pages entered, preceding his Majesty. He was followed
by his burly son, his Royal Highness the Duke, a very corpulent Prince,
with a coat and face of blazing scarlet: behind them came various
gentlemen and officers of state; among whom George at once recognised
the famous Mr. Secretary Pitt, by his tall stature, his eagle eye and
beak, his grave and majestic presence. As I see that solemn figure
passing, even a hundred years off, I protest I feel a present awe, and a
desire to take my hat off. I am not frightened at George the Second; nor
are my eyes dazzled by the portentous appearance of his Royal Highness
the Duke of Culloden and Fontenoy; but the Great Commoner, the terrible
Cornet of Horse! His figure bestrides our narrow isle of a century
back like a Colossus; and I hush as he passes in his gouty shoes, his
thunderbolt hand wrapped in flannel. Perhaps as we see him now, issuing
with dark looks from the royal closet, angry scenes have been passing
between him and his august master. He has been boring that old monarch
for hours with prodigious long speeches, full of eloquence, voluble
with the noblest phrases upon the commonest topics; but, it must be
confessed, utterly repulsive to the little shrewd old gentleman, "at
whose feet he lays himself," as the phrase is, and who has the most
thorough dislike for fine boedry and for fine brose too! The sublime
Minister passes solemnly through the