A Nest of Linnets

autiful and had never sung more beautifully. Most people took the view that had been expressed by the Duchess of Devonshire, and affirmed that it was quite

e coming from a body that is no more attractive than that of a sparrow; and

equal to the task of facing such persons as were ready-as he expected they would be-to repeat the Duchess's phrase.

e of Elizabeth Linley more than once before she had met Mr. Walpole, and more than once after t

f Devonshire said about Miss Linle

ce forgot that even Shakespeare is

id the lady; "but in

alpole. "But I do not mean to destroy the printing-press at Strawberry H

his views on the subject

lf the garrets in Grub Street, "sir, 'twere preposterous to assume that Nature works solely for the gratification of suc

been puzzling me for years," said Dr. Goldsmith, when in the company of h

eated in vain," said Mr. Bunbury,

our puzzle which has been s

so charmed the people among whom I travelled in Europe, but, lis

solemn face of their friend, Mr. Boswell, who had been hiding behind one of Dr J

leman who had been so attentive to her for some months, thereby giving quite an impetus to the business of

overwhe

to Miss Linley!" cried the Duches

nley!" said G

ng!" said Ho

nformation that she would not sing after her marriage, "Linley is thrown away as a musician. Such adroitne

dd to the elements of interest associated with his eldest daughter in order to make her more attractive to the public who paid to hear her sing, or that he had made an uncommonly good bargain with Mr. Long in respect of the compensation which he

ies held up their han

ge

en she sang for the first time at Oxford, she could have married the whole University. A wit with a capacity for mensuration had calculated that the amount of verses written to her upon this occasion wo

threatened-through the medium of elegiacs-to fling themselves into some whirling stream (rhyming with their "vanish'd d

d been deterred by certain considerations of rheumatism and stays, and other infirmities, from kneeling to her, now looked very glum. They were full of self-reproach now that they had found how easily she had been won; and some of them were incautious enough to confide their feelings to their friends, and these friends had no he

appy. "She is beautiful, she has the voice of an angel, she is likely to be a rich widow before she is twenty, and she has

relinquish a score of suitors, and only to obtain one husband in retu

sacrifice, with very little compe

r their sufferings in the reflection that Miss Lin

h she is not yet married, but only promised? I, for

litary undress walked past the group with a scowl and a swagger. "Lud! Captain Mathews is so fond a lov

included a person so obviously ineligible as t

ny man is obvious," said Mrs. Thrale. "Did not we all, up to this morning, r

ough to be her father,"

old enough to be her husband; that is what we should have said, had w

, looking vaguely into the distance, lest any one of her hearers mi

y have been, she had sufficient knowledge of her own sex to be well aware that no vagueness of generalisation on her part would prevent any one of her friends from feel

. Thrale as Captain Mathews, had returned from his march across the gardens. He was about to pa

the rest of our friends in this place, discussing th

discussing the engagement of Miss Li

ments. He had not yet mastered Mr

Lord! 'tis a fine freak! Her father has urged her to it. I shouldn't wonder if you have heard that I was de

d Mrs. Cholmondeley, with a pretty affectation of amazement. She was a capita

n a trifle upset by the lady's

ut you know how malicious are our good friends in Bath; you know how ready they are to a

t all our friends are malicious, but I give you my word that their malice never went the length of hinting

s, 'twas a preposterous notion; and yet, madam, there are some in this town who do not think the noti

ps from side to side, assuming a self-satisfied smile, as though

amily and a man of property; that is possibly why no one has

ixty if he is a day-- But I vow 'tis nothing to me-nothing i' the world, I swear!" cried

said Mrs. Cholmondeley. "No one ever

riking another attitude, "can you fancy that I

so ungenerous as to allude to a rival in such terms as

no!" he cried. "He is an ol

al to you, sir,"

tly, he began to feel that he had not been quite quick enough in the attention which he had given to the lady's words. It was being for

sting on his hip: his cane was in his other;

soon became less exuberant in his forced merriment, and it did not seem at all unnatural for the wrinkles of

e he shall eat his words. And as for Mr. Long himself-well, let him look to

he spoke and struck

lance round, he would have been enlightened on this point, for he would have seen just behind him a small man giv

ws had stalked off, and the little man was beginning to breathe again-heavily, and with an

deley fanned

one, and we are all s

would have killed you, Mr. Garrick, and all

ere accusing me of being the death of you, and now you go still f

the threshold of which we stand at this moment," said Mrs. Thrale. "Why, the tragedy of Penelope

the suitors to be quite despondent. But beyond doubt 'tis becoming a serious matter for Bath, this engagement of the sweetest of our nest of linne

Oh, lud! you cannot mean to suggest that he w

full of gratitude to Miss Linley for having made his entertainments a success by singing at them. I ask you, Mrs. Crewe, for I know that you are well ac

re you that it has long ago been decided that if a young woman be truly grateful to an elderly man for a past

. "But I know for sure that Tom Sheridan has gone to Ireland, and why should any man go to Ireland unless he has been refu

the younger-Dick his name is. I vow that I had an idea tha

an should show some favour to the son of the man who hopes to marry her! But pray do not cite me as an authority on this point to Dick Sheridan. I own that I ha

, and so save Dick Sheridan from the terrible fate tha

o the early instruction which he had received from Monsieur Angelo, who had taught him to fence, as well as to dance-that he was a most attractive figure. Though his features were not handsome, his face

dan," said Mrs. Cholmondeley. "Mr. Garrick ha

"Yes; for by doing so I know that I anticipated an

as quite safe in our keepi

ll known to constitute a medical board for an hospital for sickly reputation

k. "Oh, ladies! Mr. Garrick's complim

ore you came up; for I said that I had hopes that you

d Sheridan. "But one cannot become a great dramatist unless one has the subje

e, if only to establish my reputa

Drury Lane reputations into th

al for incurables," said Mrs. Crewe. "But yo

on that que

the direction of the entrance to the gardens, and you will find it," said Mrs

to the gardens. Betsy Linley wa

tion; and the beauty of it is, that it may be treated from the standpoint of tr

urried away, with onl

rewe, "the lad is in love wi