"No, sir; he could not, for--"
I was going on, but he laughed so much I could not be heard, exclaiming,
"Vastly well! I see you are of Mr. Baretti"s"mind, and think your brother could keep your secret, and not your sister?"
"Well, but," cried he presently, "how was it first known to you, you were betrayed?"
"By a letter, sir, from another sister. I was very ill, and in the country; and she wrote me word that my father had taken up a review, in which the book was mentioned, and had put his finger upon its name, and said--"Contrive to get that book for me.""
"And when he got it," cried the king, "he told me he was afraid of looking at it! and never can I forget his face when he mentioned his first opening it. But you have not kept your pen unemployed all this time?"
"Indeed I have, sir."
"But why?"
"I--I believe I have exhausted myself, sir."
He laughed aloud at this, and went and told it to Mrs. Delany, civilly treating a plain fact as a mere bon mot.
Then, turning to me again, he said, more seriously, "But you have not determined against writing, any more?"
"N-o, sir"
"You have made no vow--no real resolution of that sort?"
"No, sir."
"You only wait for inclination?"
"No, sir."
A very civil little bow spoke him pleased with this answer, and he went again to the middle of the room, where he chiefly stood, and, addressing us in general, talked upon the different motives of writing, concluding with,
"I believe there is no constraint to be put upon real genius; nothing but inclination can set it to work. Miss Burney, however, knows best."
And then, hastily returning to me, he cried, "What? what?"
"No, sir, I--I-believe not, certainly," quoth I, very awkwardly, for I seemed taking a violent compliment only as my due; but I knew not how to put him off as I would another person.
He then made some inquiries concerning the pictures with which the room is hung, and which are all Mrs. Delany"s own painting and a little discourse followed, upon some of the masters whose pictures she has copied. This was all with her; for n.o.body ever answers him without being immediately addressed by him.
He then came to me again, and said,
"Is your father about anything at present?"
"Yes, sir, he goes on, when he has time, with his history."
"Does he write quick?"
"Yes, sir, when he writes from himself; but in his history he has so many books to consult, that sometimes he spends three days in finding authorities for a single pa.s.sage."
"Very true; that must be unavoidable." He pursued these inquiries some time, and then went again to his general station before the fire, and Mrs. Delany inquired if he meant to hunt the next day. "Yes," he answered; and, a little pointedly, Mrs. Delany said,
"I would the hunted could but feel as much pleasure as the hunter."
The king understood her, and with some quickness, called out, "Pray what did you hunt?"
Then, looking round at us all,--
"Did you know," he said, "that Mrs. Delany once hunted herself?--and in a long gown, and a great hoop?"
It seems she had told his majesty an adventure of that sort which had befallen her in her youth, from some accident in which her will had no share.
THE QUEEN APPEARS UPON THE SCENE.
While this was talking over, a violent thunder was made at the door.
I was almost certain it was the queen. Once more I would have given anything to escape; but in vain. I had been informed that n.o.body ever quitted the royal presence, after having been conversed with, till motioned to withdraw.
Miss Port, according to established etiquette on these occasions, opened the door which she stood next, by putting her hand behind her, and slid out, backwards, into the hall, to light the queen in. The door soon opened again, and her majesty entered.
Immediately seeing the king, she made him a low curtsey, and cried,--
"Oh, your majesty is here."
"Yes," he cried, "I ran here, without speaking to anybody."
The queen had been at the lower Lodge, to see the Princess Elizabeth, as the king had before told us.
She then, hastened up to Mrs. Delany, with both her hands held out, saying,
"My dear Mrs. Delany, how are you?"
Instantly after, I felt her eye on my face. I believe, too, she curtsied to me; but though I saw the bend, I was too near-sighted to be sure it was intended for me. I was hardly ever in a situation more embarra.s.sing---I dared not return what I was not certain I had received, yet considered myself as appearing quite a monster, to stand stiff-necked, if really meant.
Almost at the same moment, she spoke to Mr. Bernard Dewes, and then nodded to my little clinging girl.
I was now really ready to sink, with horrid uncertainty of what I was doing, or what I should do,--when his majesty, who I fancy saw my distress, most good-humouredly said to the queen something, but I was too much flurried to remember what, except these words,--"I have been telling Miss Burney--"
Relieved from so painful a dilemma, I immediately dropped a curtsey. She made one to me in the same moment, and, with a very smiling countenance, came up to me; but she could not speak, for the king went on talking, eagerly, and very gaily, repeating to her every word I had said during our conversation upon "Evelina," its publication, etc. etc.
Then he told her of Baretti"s wager, saying,--"But she heard of a great many conjectures about the author, before it was known, and of Baretti, an admirable thing!--he laid a bet it must be a man, as no woman, he said, could have kept her own counsel!"
The queen, laughing a little, exclaimed--
"Oh, that is quite too bad an affront to us!--Don"t you think so?"
addressing herself to me, with great gentleness of voice and manner.