1 62 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, xn 



[Wedgwood]. Whether it will last after she is gone is 

 another thing, but I think it is very well she is going. (Now 

 do remember, my dear Fan, not to speak of and not to leave 

 my letter about. This by way of parenthesis, and now I 

 shall go on.) They have been dancing every night and last 

 night acting besides. She is looking very pretty, very merry, 

 sitting always by him, and very much taken up with 

 him. Whether she sees her power and is pleased by 

 exerting it, or whether she is unconscious I don't know, 

 but as I said before I am glad she is going. At the same 

 time I like her very much, and if he and she could afford to 

 marry, I should desire no better. After all he may forget 

 when she is gone, but I am sure there is danger in their 

 being together, and I don't much like mounting guard every 

 evening till it pleases them to go to bed, or watching them 

 talking nonsense and playing " beggar my neighbour ' or 

 other such lover-like pastimes. Susan Darwin comes in 

 second best, and I was in hopes would have caused a diver- 

 sion, but she has no chance. In short we are just now very 

 flirtish, very noisy, very merry, and very foolish. Last 

 night they performed some scenes in the " Merry Wives of 

 Windsor ' without Falstaff, for Jos's and my amusement, 

 for they had no other audience. The parts were thus cast : 

 Mrs Page, Susan; Mrs Anne Page, Jessie (both looked un- 

 commonly pretty in long waists); Mrs Quickly, Elizabeth, 

 excellently acted; Dr Caius, Harry; and Slender, Frank, 

 very well acted ; Sir Hugh Evans, Hensleigh, and Mine Host, 

 Joe, very indifferent; Master Shallow, Emma, very good; 

 Mr Fenton and Simple, Fanny; and Mr Page, Catherine 

 Darwin, very fair; the other characters were left out. If 

 they had known their parts more perfect, it would have gone 

 off very well, but Charlotte, who was prompter, was obliged 

 to lift up her voice so often that it had a very deadening 

 effect, and the want of audience too is very flat. After the 

 play there was a ball. 



