Immediately upon my arrival, she had imagined, by what had preceded it, that a visit would instantly ensue here, and I should have a summons to appear ; but the death of the queen’s brother, which was known the very night I came, confined her majesty and all the family for some days to the Lodge ; and the dangerous illness of the Princess Elizabeth nexttook place, in occupying all their thoughts, greatly to their credit.  My dear old friend, however, earnest I Should have an honour which her grateful reverence for their majesties makes her regard very highly, had often wished me to stay in the room when they came to see her, assuring me that though they were so circumstanced as not to send for a stranger, she knew they would be much pleased to meet with me.  This, however, was more than I could assent to, without infinite pain, and that she was too kind to make a point of my enduring.

Yesterday, upon my return, she began again the same reasoning; the Princess Elizabeth had relapsed, and she knew, during her being worse, there was no chance the queen would take any active step towards a meeting.  “But she inquires,” continued Mrs. Delany, “so much about you, and is so earnest. that you should be with me, that I am sure she wants to see and converse with you.  You will see her, too, with more ease to yourself by being already in the room, than from being summoned.  I would not for the world put this request to you, if I were not sure she wishes it.”

There was no withstanding the word “request” from Mrs. Delany, and little as I liked the business, I could not but comply.  What next was to be done, was to beg directions for the rencounter.

Now though you, my dear father, have had an audience, and you, my dear Susan, are likely enough to avoid one, yet I think the etiquettes on these occasions will be equally new to you both ; for one never inquired into them, and the other has never thought of them.  Here, at Windsor, where more than half the people we see are belonging to the Court, and where all the rest are trying to be in the same predicament, the intelligence I have obtained must be looked upon as accurate, and I shall, therefore give it., in full confidence you will 297

both regard it as a valuable addition to your present stock of Court knowledge, and read it with that decent awe the dignity of the topic requires!

         Directionsfor A private encounter with the royal family.

. . . . .  To come, then, to those particular instructions I
received myself, and which must not be regarded as having
anything to do with general rules.

“I do beg of you,” said dear Mrs. Delany, “When the queen or the king speak to you, not to answer with mere monosyllables.  The queen often complains to me of the difficulty with which she can get any conversation, as she not only always has to start the subjects, but, commonly, entirely to support them:  and she says there is nothing she so much loves as conversation, and nothing she finds so hard to get.  She is always best pleased to have the answers that are made her lead on to further discourse.  Now, as I know she wishes to be acquainted with you, and converse with you, I do really entreat you not to draw back from her, nor to stop conversation with only answering ‘Yes,’ or ‘No.’”