however, he was really very entertaining, and as he abided wholly by Miss Weston, whose delicacy gave way to gaiety and flash, whether she would or not, I was very glad that he made one among us.

The rest of the company soon came, and were Mr. and Mrs. Whalley, Mrs. Lambart, Mrs. Aubrey, Colonel Campbell, an old officer and old acquaintance of Mr. Thrale, and some others, both male and female, whose names I know not.

We all sat in one box, but we had three tea-makers.  Miss Weston presided at that to which I belonged, and Augusta, Captain Bouchier, and herself were of our set.  And gay enough we were, for the careless rattle of Captain Bouchier, which paid no regard to the daintiness of Miss Weston, made her obliged in her own defence, to abate her finery, and laugh, and rally, and rail, in her turn.  But, at ’last, I really began to fear that this flighty officer would bring on a serious quarrel, for, among other subjects he was sporting, he unfortunately started that of the Bath Easton vase, which he ridiculed without mercy, and yet, according to all I have heard of it, without any injustice; but Mrs. Whalley, who overheard him, was quite irritated with him.  Sir John an Lady Miller are her friends, and she thought it incumbent upon her to vindicate even this vain folly, which she did weakly and warmly, while Captain Bouchier only laughed and ridiculed them the more.  Mrs. Whalley then coloured, and grew quite enraged, reasoning upon the wickedness of laughing at her good friends, and talking of generosity and sentiment.  Meanwhile, he scampered from side to side to avoid her; laughed, shouted, and tried every way of braving it out; but was compelled at last to be serious, and enter into a solemn defence of his intentions, which were, he said, to ridicule the vase, not the Millers.

A young and agreeable infidel.

Wednesday.-The party was Mr. and Mrs. Vanbrugh—­the former a good sort of man-the latter, Captain Bouchier says, reckons herself a woman of humour, but she kept it prodigious snug; Lord Huntingdon, a very deaf old lord Sir Robert Pigot, a very thin old baronet ; Mr. Tyson, a very civil master of the ceremonies ; Mr. and Mrs. White, a very insignificant couple; Sir James C—­, a bawling old man; two Misses C—­, a pair of tonish misses; Mrs. and Miss Byron; Miss W—­, and certain others I knew nothing of. 181

Augusta Byron, according to custom, had entered into conversation with me, and we were talking about her sisters, and her affairs, when Mr. E- -(whose name I forgot to mention) came to inform me that Mrs. Lambart begged to speak to me.  She was upon a sofa with Miss W—­, who, it seemed, desired much to be introduced to me, and so I took a chair facing them.

Miss W—–­ is young and pleasing in her appearance,not pretty, but agreeable in her face, and soft, gentle, and well bred in her manners.  Our conversation, for some time, was upon the common Bath topics; but when Mrs. Lambart left us—­called to receive more company—­we went insensibly into graver matters.