daughter; hoped
for a success; said he had heard great things of the piece; and engaged
a number of places for himself and his friends. But this patron secured,
I had no other. "Mon cher, at my age," says the Baroness, "I should
bore myself to death at a tragedy: but I will do my best; and I will
certainly send my people to the boxes. Yes! Case in his best black looks
like a nobleman; and Brett in one of my gowns has a faux air de moi
which is quite distinguished. Put down my name for two in the front
boxes. Good-bye, my dear. Bonne chance!" The Dowager Countess presented
compliments (on the back of the nine of clubs), had a card-party that
night, and was quite sorry she and Fanny could not go to my tragedy. As
for my uncle and Lady Warrington, they were out of the question. After
the affair of the sedan-chair I might as well have asked Queen
Elizabeth to go to Drury Lane. These were all my friends--that host of
aristocratic connexions about whom poor Sampson had bragged; and on
the strength of whom, the manager, as he said, had given Mr. Hagan his
engagement! "Where was my Lord Bute? Had I not promised his lordship
should come?" he asks, snappishly, taking snuff (how different from
the brisk, and engaging, and obsequious little manager of six months
ago!)--"I promised Lord Bute should come?"

"Yes," says Mr. Garrick, "and her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales,
and his Majesty too."

Poor Sampson owned that he, buoyed up by vain hopes, had promised the
appearance of these august personages.

The next day, at rehearsal, matters were worse still, and the manager in
a fury.

"Great heavens, sir!" says he, "into what a pretty guet-a-pens have you
led me! Look at that letter, sir!--read that letter!" And he hands me
one:

"MY DEAR SIR" (said the letter)--"I have seen his lordship, and conveyed
to him Mr. Warrington's request that he would honour the tragedy of
Pocahontas by his presence. His lordship is a patron of the drama, and
a magnificent friend of all the liberal arts; but he desires me to
say that he cannot think of attending himself, much less of asking his
Gracious Master to witness the performance of a play, a principal part
in which is given to an actor who has made a clandestine marriage with
a daughter of one of his Majesty's nobility.--Your well-wisher, SAUNDERS
MCDUFF."

"Mr. D. Garrick, at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane."

My poor Theo had a nice dinner waiting for me after the rehearsal. I