As soon as the company was gone, all but a Miss Mawer, who is on a visit to Mrs. Schwellenberg, I told my tale.  Mrs.Schwellenberg said the orders had been hers, that a hot supper belonged to my establishment, and that sometimes she might come and eat it with me.

I had now not a word to add.  At ten o’clock both she and Miss Mawer accompanied me to my room.  Miss Mawer is an old maid; tall, thin, sharp-featured, hurrying and disagreeable in her manner, but, I believe, good-natured and good-hearted, from all I have observed in her.  The smell of the meat soon grew offensive to Mrs. Schwellenberg, who left me with Miss Mawer.  As I never eat any myself at night, all I could devise to make the perfume tolerable was to consider it as an oppor’tunity for a lesson in carving:  so I went to work straightforward to mangle my unbidden guest, for the use and service of Miss Mawer.

Soon after, I was delighted and surprised by the entrance of Mrs. Delany, ushered to my room by Major Price.  The concert being over, and the royal family retired to supper, she would not go away without seeing me.  I thanked the major for bringing me so sweet a guest, but I almost fear he expected to be invited in with her.  I am sure I could have had nothing but pleasure from his joining us; but I had made a rule, on my thus first setting up for myself, to invite no man whatsoever, young, old, married, single, acquaintance or stranger, till I knew precisely the nature of my own situation :  for I had been warned by an excellent friend, Mrs. de Luc, on my first entrance into office that there was no drawing back in a place such as this; and that therefore I ought studiously to keep back, till I felt my way, and knew, experimentally, what I could do, and what I should wish to leave alone.  This advice has been of singular use to me, in a thousand particulars, from the very first to the present day of my abode in this Lodge. 364

Little PRINCESs AMELIA’s birthday.

Monday, Aug. 7-This has been the first cheerful day since the memorable and alarming attack of the 2nd of August.  It was the birthday of the little Princess Amelia :  and the fond ness of the whole family for that lovely child, and her own infantine enjoyment of the honours paid her, have revived the spirits of the whole house.

The manner of keeping the birth-days here is Very simple.  All the royal family are new-dressed; so—­at least so they appear--are all their attendants.  The dinners and desserts are unusually sumptuous ; and some of the principal officers of state, and a few of the ladies of the Court, come to Windsor to make their compliments; and at night there is a finer concert, by an addition from town of the musicians belonging to the queen’s band.  If the weather is fine, all the family walk upon the Terrace, which is crowded with people of distinction, who take that mode of showing respect, to avoid the trouble and fatigue of attending at the following Drawing-room.