_Saturday, Dec. 28._--My father and I dined and spent the day at
Sir Joshua Reynolds's, after many preceding disappointments. I had a
whispering conversation with Mrs. Reynolds,[172] which made me laugh,
from her excessive oddness and absurdity.
“I had the most unfortunate thing in the world happen to me,” she said,
“about Mrs. Montagu, and I always am in some distress or misfortune
with that lady. She did me the honour to invite me to dine with her last
week,--and I am sure there is nobody in the world can be more obliged to
Mrs. Montagu taking such notice of any body;--but just when the day
came I was so unlucky as to be ill, and that, you know, made it quite
improper to go to dine with Mrs. Montagu, for fear of disagreeable
consequences. So this vexed me very much, for I had nobody to send to
her that was proper to appear before Mrs. Montagu; for to own the truth,
you must know I have no servant but a maid, and I could not think of
sending such a person to Mrs. Montagu. So I thought it best to send a
charman, and to tell him only to ring at the bell, and to wait for
no answer; because then the porter might tell Mrs. Montagu my servant
brought the note, for the porter could not tell but he might be my
servant.
“But my maid was so stupid, she took the shilling I gave her for the
charman, and went to a green-shop, and bid the woman send somebody with
the note, and she left the shilling with her; so the green-woman, I
suppose, thought she might keep the shilling, and instead of sending a
charman she sent her own errand-girl; and she was all dirt and rags.
But this is not all; for, when the girl got to the house, nothing would
serve her but she would give the note to Mrs. Montagu, and wait for an
answer; so then, you know, Mrs. Montagu saw this ragged green-shop girl.
I was never so shocked in my life, for when she brought me back the note
I knew at once how it all was. Only think what a mortification, to have
Mrs. Montagu see such a person as that! She must think it very odd of me
indeed to send a green-shop girl to such a house as hers!”