“So do I, too,” cried Major Price “for I never heard this before.”

“Nor I,” cried the colonel “and indeed it ought to be made known, both for the sake of Mrs. Hastings, and because she has been received at Court, which gave everybody the greatest surprise, and me, in my ignorance, the greatest concern, on account of the queen."’

This undid all again, though my explanation had just stilled the hurricane; but now it began afresh.

“You might not say that, Colonel Fairly; you might not name the queen!—­O, I can’t bear it!—­I tell you once it is too moch!—­ What for you tell me that?”

“Ma’am, I—­I only said—­It is not me, ma’am, but the newspapers.”

“What for you have such newspapers?—­I tell you the same—­it is--what you call—­I don’t like such thing!”

“But, ma’am—­”

“O, upon my vord, I might tell you once, when you name the queen, it is—­what you call—­I can’t bear it!—­when it is nobody else, with all my heart!  I might not care for that—­but when it is the queen,—­I tell you the same, Colonel Fairly—­it makes me—­what you call—­perspire.”

The major again interfered, saying it was now all cleared up, by the account of the difference of the German customs, and therefore that it was all very well.  A certain quiet, but yet decisive way, in which he sometimes speaks, was here very successful ; and as the lady stopped, the colonel saw all explanation too desperate to aim at further argument.

(203) Dr. Burney’s daughter by his second wife-ed.

(204) Sir Thomas Clarges, whose wife was a dear friend of Susan Burney.  Sir Thomas died in December, 1782.  In the “Early Diary” he is mentioned once or twice, as a visitor at Dr. Burney’s.  Fanny writes of him in May, 1775, as “a young baronet, who was formerly so desperately enamoured of Miss Linley, now Mrs. Sheridan, that his friends made a point of his going abroad to recover himself:  he is now just returned from italy, and I hope cured.  He still retains all the schoolboy English mauvaise honte; scarce speaks but to make an answer, and is as shy as if his last residence had been at Eton instead of Paris.-Ed.

(205) ’Tis amazing what nonsense sensible people can write, when their heads are turned by cunsiderations of rank and flummery!-Ed.

(206) The wife of Warren Hastings.  Fanny had made the acquaintince of Mr. and Mrs. Hastings from her friend Mr. Cambridge, some months previously. (See note (201), ante, P. 327).-Ed.

(207 The name of the poor woman was Margaret Nicholson.  She was, of course, insane, and had, a few days previously, presented a petition, which had probably been left unread at the time, but which turned out on investigation to be full of incoherent nonsense.  On her examination before the Privy Council she declared that “the crown was hers, and that if she had not her rights England would be deluged with blood.”  She was ultimately consigned to Bedlam.-Ed.