ccadilly; and here,--as
Mrs. Mule had not made her appearance to any of the visiters,--it was
concluded, rashly, that the witch had vanished. One of those friends,
however, who had most fondly indulged in this persuasion, happening to
call one day when all the male part of the establishment were abroad,
saw, to his dismay, the door opened by the same grim personage, improved
considerably in point of habiliments since he last saw her, and keeping
pace with the increased scale of her master's household, as a new
peruke, and other symptoms of promotion, testified. When asked "how he
came to carry this old woman about with him from place to place," Lord
Byron's only answer was, "The poor old devil was so kind to me."]

"Sunday, March 6.

"On Tuesday last dined with Rogers,--Madame de Stael, Mackintosh,
Sheridan, Erskine, and Payne Knight, Lady Donegall and Miss R. there.
Sheridan told a very good story of himself and Madame de Recamier's
handkerchief; Erskine a few stories of himself only. _She_ is going to
write a big book about England, she says;--I believe her. Asked by her
how I liked Miss * *'s thing, called * *, and answered (very sincerely)
that I thought it very bad for _her_, and worse than any of the others.
Afterwards thought it possible Lady Donegall, being Irish, might be a
patroness of * *, and was rather sorry for my opinion, as I hate putting
people into fusses, either with themselves or their favourites; it looks
as if one did it on purpose. The party went off very well, and the fish
was very much to my gusto. But we got up too soon after the women; and
Mrs. Corinne always lingers so long after dinner that we wish her
in--the drawing-room.

"To-day C. called, and while sitting here, in came Merivale. During our
colloquy, C.(ignorant that M. was the writer) abused the 'mawkishness of
the Quarterly Review of Grimm's Correspondence.' I (knowing the secret)
changed the conversation as soon as I could; and C. went away, quite
convinced of having made the most favourable impression on his new
acquaintance. Merivale is luckily a very good-natured fellow, or, God
he knows what might have been engendered from such a malaprop. I did not
look at him while this was going on, but I felt like a coal--for I like
Merivale, as well as the article in question.

"Asked to Lady Keith's to-morrow evening--I think I will go; but it is
the first party invitation I have accepted this 'season,' as the learned
Fletcher called