Page:Life of William Shelburne (vol 2).djvu/364

328 but, at that time, he neglected the offer through despondency."

"Barré loves to sit over his claret, pushes it about pretty briskly, and abounds in stories that are well told and very entertaining. He really seems to have a great command of language; he states clearly and forcibly; and upon all points, his words are fluent and well chosen."

"On Monday Lord Dartrey left us. It was he that pushed the bottle about, and not Colonel Barré. I beg the Colonel's pardon. … You can't imagine what a reserve there is in the manners of this house, and how little there has been of gallantry towards Miss V. in the behaviour of all the men that have been here, young and old, so far as I have had occasion to observe.

"On Saturday there dined with us a Mrs. Johns. Mrs. Johns was a sort of dependant of Lord Shelburne's first wife; lives gratis in a little house of my lord's close by; is a Methodist; comes a-begging to great people for money to give in charity; is a conversable woman, who has seen the world, and has court connections. She has distributed money for the Queen; and though she has the dress and appearance of an upper servant, has had correspondence with all manner of great people, and could be made use of occasionally to put news about."

"After dinner, while the gentlemen are still at their bottle, I steal away to the library, where I meet Lady Shelburne, and wait on her to her dressing-room: there we have music of some kind or other, unless there happen to be ladies in the house who are not musically disposed. When the gentlemen leave the dining-room, or if the weather permit of it, have done walking, we