What strange ideas are taken from mere book-reading!  But what follows gave me the highest delight I can feel.

“Mr. Burke,"(60) she continued, “doats on it:  he began it one morning at seven o’clock, and could not leave it a moment; he sat up all night reading it.  He says he has not seen such a book he can’t tell when.”

Mrs. Thrale gave me involuntarily a look of congratulation, and could not forbear exclaiming, “How glad she was Mr. Burke approved it!” This served to confirm the Palmers in their mistake, and they now, without further questioning, quietly and unaffectedly concluded the book to be really Mrs. Thrale’s and Miss Palmer said,—­“Indeed, ma’am, you Ought to write a novel every year:  nobody can write like you!”

I was both delighted and diverted at this mistake, and they 95

grew so easy and so satisfied under it, that the conversation dropped, and offy went to the harpsichord.

Not long after, the party broke up, and they took leave.  I had no conversation with Sir Joshua all day; but I found myself more an object of attention to him than I wished; and he several times spoke to me, though he did not make love!

When they rose to take leave, Miss Palmer, with the air of asking the greatest of favours, hoped to see me when I returned to town; and Sir Joshua, approaching me with the most profound respect, inquired how long I should remain at Streatham?  A week, I believed:  and then he hoped, when I left it, they should have the honour of seeing me in Leicester Square.(61)

In short, the joke is, the people speak as if they were afraid of me, instead of my being afraid of them.  It seems, when they got to the door, Miss Palmer said to Mrs. Thrale,

“Ma’am, so it’s Miss Burney after all!”

“Ay, sure,” answered she, “who should it be?”

“Ah! why did not you tell us sooner?” said Offy, “that we might have had a little talk about it?”

Here, therefore, end all my hopes of secrecy!

    The members of Dr. Johnson’s household.

At tea-time the subject turned upon the domestic economy “’ of Dr. Johnson’s household.  Mrs. Thrale has often acquainted me that his house is quite filled and overrun with all sorts of strange creatures, whom he admits for mere charity, and because nobody else will admit them,—­for his charity is unbounded; or, rather, bounded only by his circumstances.

The account he gave of the adventures and absurdities of the set, was highly diverting, but too diffused for writing—­though one or two speeches I must give.  I think I shall occasionally theatricalise my dialogues.

Mrs. Thrale-Pray, Sir, how does Mrs. Williams like all this tribe?

Johnson-Madam, she does not like them at all:  but their fondness for her is not greater.  She and De Mullin(62)

96.

quarrel incessantly; but as they can both be occasionally of service to each other, and as neither of them have a place to go to, their animMOSity does not force them to separate.