Seymour
Conway fell desperately in love with her.

Mr. Conway had just caused two divorces; and of course, all the women
in London were dying for him--judge then of the pride which Lady Frances
felt at his addresses. The end of the season was unusually dull, and
my mother, after having looked over her list of engagements, and
ascertained that she had none remaining worth staying for, agreed to
elope with her new lover.

The carriage was at the end of the square. My mother, for the first time
in her life, got up at six o'clock. Her foot was on the step, and her
hand next to Mr. Conway's heart, when she remembered that her favourite
china monster and her French dog were left behind. She insisted on
returning--re-entered the house, and was coming down stairs with one
under each arm, when she was met by my father and two servants. My
father's valet had discovered the flight (I forget how), and awakened
his master.

When my father was convinced of his loss, he called for his
dressing-gown--searched the garret and the kitchen--looked in the maid's
drawers and the cellaret--and finally declared he was distracted. I have
heard that the servants were quite melted by his grief, and I do not
doubt it in the least, for he was always celebrated for his skill in
private theatricals. He was just retiring to vent his grief in his
dressing-room, when he met my mother. It must altogether have been an
awkward rencontre, and, indeed, for my father, a remarkably unfortunate
occurrence; for Seymour Conway was immensely rich, and the damages
would, no doubt, have been proportionably high. Had they met each other
alone, the affair might easily have been settled, and Lady Frances gone
off in tranquillity;--those d--d servants are always in the way!

I have, however, often thought that it was better for me that the affair
ended thus,--as I know, from many instances, that it is frequently
exceedingly inconvenient to have one's mother divorced.

I have observed that the distinguishing trait of people accustomed to
good society, is a calm, imperturbable quiet, which pervades all their
actions and habits, from the greatest to the least: they eat in quiet,
move in quiet, live in quiet, and lose their wife, or even their money,
in quiet; while low persons cannot take up either a spoon or an
affront without making such an amazing noise about it. To render this
observation good, and to return to the intended elopement, nothing
farther was said upo