“What! is Miss Burney taking possession?”

And then he walked round the room, as if to see if it were comfortable for me, and smiling very good-humouredly, walked out again.  A surveyor was with him,—­ I believe he is giving orders for some alterations and additions. . . .

When I went to the queen before dinner, the little Princess Amelia was with her; and, though shy of me at first, we afterwards made a very pleasant acquaintance.  She is a most lovely little thing, just three years old, and full of sense, spirit, and playful prettiness:  yet decorous and dignified when called upon to appear en princesse to any strangers, as if conscious of her high rank, and of the importance of condescendingly sustaining it.  ’Tis amazing what education can do, in the earliest years, to those of quick understandings.(205) This little princess, thus in infancy, by practice and example, taught her own consequence, conducts herself, upon all proper occasions, with an

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air of dignity that is quite astonishing, though her natural character seems all sport and humour.

When we became a little acquainted, the queen desired me to take her by the hand, and carry her downstairs to the king, who was waiting for her in the garden.  She trusted herself to me with a grave and examining look, and shewed me, for I knew it not, the way.  The king, who dotes upon her, seemed good-humouredly pleased to see me bring her.  He took her little hand and led her away.

A drawing-room at st. James’s.

Thursday, July 27-This being a Court-day, we went to town.  The queen dresses her head at Kew, and puts on her Drawing-room apparel at St. James’s.  Her new attendant dresses all at Kew, except tippet and long ruffles, which she carries in paper, to save from dusty roads.  I forgot to tell you, I believe, that at St. James’s I can never appear, even though I have nothing to do with the Drawing-room, except in a sacque:  ’tis the etiquette of my place.

Mrs. Schwellenberg, Miss Planta, and myself went about an hour before the king and queen.  Mrs. Schwellenberg went to the queen’s dressing-room to give orders about the dress, Miss Planta went to the princesses’ room for the same purpose, and I was shewn to mine for no purpose.

Mine are two small rooms, newly and handsomely furnished, one of which has a view of the park, over the stable-yard, and the other only of the passage to the park from St. James’sstreet.  I had now the great satisfaction to find that there was a private staircase, from that same passage, that leads straight up to my apartments, and also that I may appoint any friend to meet me in them on the court-days.  I hope never to be there again without making use of this privilege.

Having now neither companion nor book, I sent John, who came with me to town, to borrow some writing implements of one of the pages, and I employed myself in answering some letters, till the queen arrived, and I was summoned, by Mrs. Leverick, the town wardrobe woman, to the dressing-room.  There the queen put on her court dress, and as soon as she was attired sent for the princesses royal and Augusta, who came to attend her to the Drawing-room.