her antagonist
possessed in powers of tongue. She therefore parried it as long as
possible, and would evidently have not assented at all, had not the
Duchess extorted the permission by stratagem. Unfortunately, however,
for her success, she had told the Queen, in a letter which preceded it,
that she only desired to be seen and be heard by her Majesty. There was
no necessity, she said, for the Queen to answer. The Queen, in fact, had
answered so many of her tormentor's letters in the negative, that the
Duchess, not foreseeing what would be the consequence of this general
preclusion of response in her Majesty's favour, was resolved to prevent
further epistolary acknowledgment by following up her last letter in
person. She says, in the foolish "Account" which she gave to the world
of her "Conduct," and which had the reverse effect of what she intended
(which is the usual case with violent relaters of their own story):--

"I followed this letter to Kensington, and by that means prevented the
Queen's writing again to me, as she was preparing to do. The page who
went in to acquaint the Queen that I was come to wait upon her stayed
longer than usual; long enough, it is to be supposed, to give time to
deliberate whether the favour of admission should be granted, and to
settle the measure of behaviour if I were admitted. But, at last, he
came out and told me I might go in."

The Queen was alone, engaged in writing. "I did not open your letter
till just now," she said, "and I was going to write to you."

"Was there anything in it, Madam, that you had a mind to answer?"

"I think," continued poor Anne, who even now endeavoured to stop the
coming torrent of words, "I think there is nothing you can have to say
but you may write it."

But as this was the very thing over which the Duchess thought she had
triumphed, she must have heard the proposal with contemptuous delight;
and she proceeded accordingly to pour forth her complaints.

"I cannot write such things," exclaimed the haughty Sarah, alluding to
the grossness of the language attributed to her, adding, "Won't your
Majesty give me leave to tell it you?"

"Whatever you have to say, you may write it," was the royal answer.

"I believe your Majesty never did so hard a thing to anybody as to
refuse to hear them speak--even the meanest person that ever desired
it."

"Yes," said the Queen, "I _do_ bid people put what they have to say in
writing, when I have a mind to it."