“But you have sometimes Miss Planta?” 415

“And M. de Luc, too,-he may dine with you

" He also comes to Mrs. Schwellenberg.  Mrs. Delany alone, and her niece, come to me; and they have had the sanction of the queen’s own desire.”

“Mais, enfin, ma ch`ere Miss Burney,—­when it rains,—­and when it is so late,—­and when it is for such a woman as Madame de la Roche!”

So hard pressed, I was quite shocked to resist her ; but I assured her that when my own sisters, Phillips and Francis, came to Windsor purposely to see me, they had never dined at the Lodge but by the express invitation of Mrs. Schwellenberg; and that when my father himself was here, I had not ventured to ask him.  This, though it surprised, somewhat appeased her; and we were called into the other room to Miss Planta, who was to dine with me, and who, unluckily, said the dinner would be quite cold.

They begged us both to go, and leave them till the rain was over, or till Madame de la Roche’s carriage arrived.  I could not bear to do this, but entreated Miss Planta, who was in haste, to go and dine by herself.  This, at last, was agreed to, and I tried once again to enter into discourse upon other matters.  But how greatly did my disturbance at all this urgency increase, when Madame de la Fite said she was so hungry she must beg a bit of bread and a glass of water!

I was now, indeed, upon the point of giving way; but when I considered, while I hesitated, what must follow-my own necessary apology, which would involve Madame de la Fite in much blame, or my own concealing silence, which would reverse all my plans of openness with the queen, and acquiesced with my own situation-I grew firm again, and having assured her a thousand times of my concern for my little power, I went into the next room :  but I sent her the roll and water by John; I was too much ashamed to carry them.

When I returned to them again, Madame de la Fite requested rne to go at once to the queen, and tell her the case.  Ah, poor Madame de la Fite Fi to see so little a way for herself, and to suppose me also so every way short-sighted !  I informed her that I never entered the presence of the queen unsummoned. . . .

Again she desired to speak to me in my own room ; and then she told me that Madame de la Roche had a most earnest wish, to see all the royal family; she hoped, therefore, the 416

queen would go to early prayers at the chapel, where, at least she might be beheld :  but she gave me sundry hints, not to be misunderstood, that she thought I might so represent the merits of Madame de la Roche as to induce the honour of a private audience.

I could give her no hope of this, as I had none to give for I well knew that the queen has a settled aversion to almost all novels, and something very near it to almost all novelwriters.

She then told me she had herself requested an interview for her with the princess royal, and had told her that if it was too much to grant it in the royal apartments, at least it might take place in Miss Burney’s room !  Her royal highness coldly answered that she saw nobody without the queen’s commands. . . .