lendour as became the first personage
in all his Majesty's colonies, plantations, and possessions of North
America. His guard of dragoons preceded him out of Williamsburg in the
midst of an immense shouting and yelling of a loyal, and principally
negro, population. The General rode in his own coach. Captain Talmadge,
his Excellency's Master of the Horse, attended him at the door of the
ponderous emblazoned vehicle, and riding by the side of the carriage
during the journey from Williamsburg to Madam Esmond's house. Major
Danvers, aide-de-camp, sate in the front of the carriage with the little
postmaster from Philadelphia, Mr. Franklin, who, printer's boy as he had
been, was a wonderful shrewd person, as his Excellency and the gentlemen
of his family were fain to acknowledge, having a quantity of the most
curious information respecting the colony, and regarding England too,
where Mr. Franklin had been more than once. "'Twas extraordinary how
a person of such humble origin should have acquired such a variety
of learning and such a politeness of breeding too, Mr. Franklin!" his
Excellency was pleased to observe, touching his hat graciously to the
postmaster.

The postmaster bowed, said it had been his occasional good fortune to
fall into the company of gentlemen like his Excellency, and that he had
taken advantage of his opportunity to study their honours' manners, and
adapt himself to them as far as he might. As for education, he could not
boast much of that--his father being but in straitened circumstances,
and the advantages small in his native country of New England: but he
had done to the utmost of his power, and gathered what he could--he knew
nothing like what they had in England.

Mr. Braddock burst out laughing, and said, "As for education, there were
gentlemen of the army, by George, who didn't know whether they should
spell bull with two b's or one. He had heard the Duke of Marlborough
was no special good penman. He had not the honour of serving under that
noble commander--his Grace was before his time--but he thrashed the
French soundly, although he was no scholar."

Mr. Franklin said he was aware of both those facts.

"Nor is my Duke a scholar," went on Mr. Braddock--"aha, Mr. Postmaster,
you have heard that, too--I see by the wink in your eye."

Mr. Franklin instantly withdrew the obnoxious or satirical wink in his
eye, and looked in the General's jolly round face with a pair of orbs as
innocent as a baby