“How did S.B. receive the intelligence?  How many puns did he utter on so facetious an event?  In your next inform me on this point, and what excuse you made to A. You are probably, by this time, tired of deciphering this hieroglyphical letter;—­like Tony Lumpkin, you will pronounce mine to be a d——­d up and down hand.  All Southwell, without doubt, is involved in amazement.  Apropos, how does my blue-eyed nun, the fair ——? is she ‘robed in sable garb of woe?’

“Here I remain at least a week or ten days; previous to my departure you shall receive my address, but what it will be I have not determined.  My lodgings must be kept secret from Mrs. B. You may present my compliments to her, and say any attempt to pursue me will fail, as I have taken measures to retreat immediately to Portsmouth, on the first intimation of her removal from Southwell.  You may add, I have now proceeded to a friend’s house in the country, there to remain a fortnight.

“I have now blotted (I must not say written) a complete double letter, and in return shall expect a monstrous budget.  Without doubt, the dames of Southwell reprobate the pernicious example I have shown, and tremble lest their babes should disobey their mandates, and quit, in dudgeon, their mammas on any grievance.  Adieu.  When you begin your next, drop the ‘lordship,’ and put ‘Byron’ in its place.

Believe me yours, &c.

“BYRON.”

From the succeeding letters, it will be seen that Mrs. Byron was not behind hand, in energy and decision, with his young Lordship, but immediately on discovering his flight, set off after him.

LETTER 3.

TO MISS ——.

“London, August 10. 1806.

“My dear Bridget,

“As I have already troubled your brother with more than he will find pleasure in deciphering, you are the next to whom I shall assign the employment of perusing this second epistle.  You will perceive from my first, that no idea of Mrs. B.’s arrival had disturbed me at the time it was written; not so the present, since the appearance of a note from the illustrious cause of my sudden decampment has driven the ‘natural ruby from my cheeks,’ and completely blanched my woe-begone countenance.  This gun-powder intimation of her arrival breathes less of terror and dismay than you will probably imagine, and concludes with the comfortable assurance of all present motion being prevented by the fatigue of her journey, for which my blessings are due to the rough roads and restive quadrupeds of his Majesty’s highways.  As I have not the smallest inclination to be chased round the country, I shall e’en make a merit of necessity; and since, like Macbeth, ‘they’ve tied me to the stake, I cannot fly,’ I shall imitate that valorous tyrant, and ‘bear-like fight the course,’ all escape being precluded.  I can now engage with less disadvantage, having drawn the enemy from her intrenchments, though, like the prototype to whom I have compared myself, with an excellent chance of being knocked on the head.  However, ’lay on, Macduff, and d——­d be he who first cries, Hold, enough.’