July 1.-I had the satisfaction to hear from Sir Joshua that Dr. Johnson had dined with him at the Club.  I look upon him, therefore, now, as quite recovered.  I called the next morning to congratulate him, and found him very gay and very good-humoured.

A pleasant day with the Cambridges.

July 15.-To-day my father, my mother, and I, went by appointment to dine and spend the day at Twickenham with the Cambridges.  Soon after our arrival Mr. C. asked if we should like to walk, to which we most readily agreed.

We had not strolled far before we were followed by

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Mr. George.  No sooner did his father perceive him, than, hastily coming up to my side, he began a separate conversation with me; and leaving his son the charge of all the rest, he made me walk off with him from them all.  It was really a droll manoeuvre, but he seemed to enjoy it highly, and though he said not a word of his design, I am sure it reminded me of his own old trick to his son, when listening to a dull story, in saying to the relator,—­ “Tell the rest of that to George.”  And if George was in as good-humour with his party as his father was with his why, all were well pleased.  As soon as we had fairly got away from them, Mr. Cambridge, with the kindest smiles of satisfaction, said,—­“I give you my word I never was more pleased at any thing in my life than I am now at having you here to-day.”

I told him that I had felt so glad at seeing him again, after so long an absence, that I had really half a mind to have made up to him myself, and shook hands.

“You cannot imagine,” said he, “how you flatter me !-and there is nothing, I do assure you, of which I am prouder, than seeing you have got the better of your fear of me, and feeling that I am not afraid of you.”

“Of me, sir?—­but how should you be?”

“Nay, I give you my word, if I was not conscious of the greatest purity of mind, I should more fear you than any body in the world.  You know everything, everybody,” he continued, “so wonderfully well!”

We then, I know not how, fell into discussing the characters of forward and flippant women; and I told him it was my fortune to be, in general, a very great favourite with them, though I felt so little gratitude for that honour, that the smallest discernment would show them it was all thrown away.

“Why, it is very difficult,” said he, “for a woman to get rid of those forward characters without making them her enemies.  But with a man it is different.  Now I have a very peculiar happiness, which I will tell you.  I never took very much to a very amiable woman but I found she took also to me, and I have the good fortune to be in the perfect confidence of some of the first women in this kingdom; but then there are a great many women that I dislike, and think very impertinent and foolish, and, do you know, they all dislike me too!—­they absolutely cannot bear me!  Now, I don’t know, of those two things, which is the greatest happiness.”