“What’s that?” cried Mrs. Thrale, “Mr. Murphy always flirting with Miss Burney?  And here, too, where everybody’s watched!”

And she cast her eyes towards Mrs. H—­, who is as censorious a country lady as ever locked up all her ideas in a 136

country town.  She has told us sneering anecdotes of every woman and every officer in Brighthelm stone.  Mr. Murphy, checked by Mrs. Thrale’s exclamation, stopt the conversation, and said he must run away, but would return in half-an-hour.

“Don’t expect, however, Miss Burney,” he said, “I shall bring with me what you are thinking of; no, I can’t part with it yet! "

What! at it again cried Mrs. Thrale. " This flirting is incessant ; but it’s all to Mr. Murphy’s credit.”

Mrs. Thrale told me afterwards, that she made these speeches to divert the attention of the company from our subject; for that she found they were all upon the watch the moment Mr. Murphy addressed me, and that the bishop and his lady almost threw down their cards, from eagerness to discover what he meant.

The supper was very gay:  Mrs. Thrale was in high spirits, and her wit flashed with incessant brilliancy; Mr. Murphy told several stories with admirable humour; and the Bishop of Peterborough was a worthy third in contributing towards general entertainment.  He turns out most gaily sociable.  Mrs. H—­ was discussed, and, poor lady, not very mercifully.

Mrs. Thrale says she lived upon the Steyn, for the pleasure of viewing, all day long, who walked with who, how often the same persons were seen together, and what visits were made by gentlemen to ladies, or ladies to gentlemen.  “She often tells me,” said the captain,,” of my men.  ‘Oh,’ she says, ‘Captain Fuller, your men are always after the ladies!’”

“Nay,” cried Mrs. Thrale, “I should have thought the officers might have contented her; but if she takes in the soldiers too, she must have business enough.”

“Oh, she gets no satisfaction by her complaints; for I only say, ’Why, ma’am, we are all young!—­all young and gay!—­and how can we do better than follow the ladies?’”

A militia captain officiates As barber.

Saturday, May 29.  After breakfast, Mrs. and Miss Thrale took me to Widget’s, the milliner and library-woman on the Steyn.  After a little dawdling conversation, Captain Fuller came in to have a little chat.  He said he had just gone 137

through a great operation—­“I have been,” he said, “cutting off the hair of all my men.”

“And why ?

“Why, the Duke of Richmond ordered that it should be done, and the fellows swore that they would not submit to it; so I was forced to be the operator myself.  I told them they would look as smart again when they had got on their caps; but it went much against them, they vowed, at first, they would not bear such usage; some said they would sooner be run through the body, and others, that the duke should as soon have their heads.  I told them I would soon try that, and fell to work myself with them.”