After tea, the bishop, his lady, Lord Mordaunt, and Mrs. H-- seated
themselves to play at whist, and Mr. Murphy, coming up to me, said,
“I have had no opportunity, Miss Burney, to tell you how much I have
been entertained this morning, but I have a great deal to say to you
about it; I am extremely pleased with it, indeed. The dialogue is
charming; and the--”
“What's that?” cried Mrs. Thrale, “Mr. Murphy always flirting with Miss
Burney? And here, too, where everybody's watched!”
And she cast her eyes towards Mrs. H--, who is as censorious a country
lady as ever locked up all her ideas in a country town. She has told us
sneering anecdotes of every woman and every officer in Brighthelm
stone. Mr. Murphy, checked by Mrs. Thrale's exclamation, stopt
the conversation, and said he must run away, but would return in
half-an-hour.
“Don't expect, however, Miss Burney,” he said, “I shall bring with me
what you are thinking of; no, I can't part with it yet!”
What! at it again cried Mrs. Thrale. “This flirting is incessant; but
it's all to Mr. Murphy's credit.”
Mrs. Thrale told me afterwards, that she made these speeches to divert
the attention of the company from our subject; for that she found they
were all upon the watch the moment Mr. Murphy addressed me, and that
the bishop and his lady almost threw down their cards, from eagerness to
discover what he meant.
The supper was very gay: Mrs. Thrale was in high spirits, and her wit
flashed with incessant brilliancy; Mr. Murphy told several stories with
admirable humour; and the Bishop of Peterborough was a worthy third
in contributing towards general entertainment. He turns out most gaily
sociable. Mrs. H--was discussed, and, poor lady, not very mercifully.
Mrs. Thrale says she lived upon the Steyn, for the pleasure of viewing,
all day long, who walked with who, how often the same persons were seen
together, and what visits were made by gentlemen to ladies, or ladies to
gentlemen.
“She often tells me,” said the captain, “of my men. 'Oh,' she says,
'Captain Fuller, your men are always after the ladies!'”
“Nay,” cried Mrs. Thrale, “I should have thought the officers might
have contented her; but if she takes in the soldiers too, she must have
business enough.”
“Oh, she gets no satisfaction by her complaints; for I only say, 'Why,
ma'am, we are all young!--all young and gay!--and how can we do better
than follow the ladies?'”