160 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, xn 



and the following morning went to Pembroke, pretending 

 on money business, but really to look for some person to 

 carry a message to Sir John. General Adams, whom he 

 had fixed on, he found gone to Haverford-west. . . . Yes- 

 terday morning he wrote to Lord Cawdor to beg he would 

 meet him at eleven o'clock at Pembroke. He was almost 

 driven to despair for some one to carry his message. He felt 

 he had scarcely a right to ask Ld. Cawdor ; he was therefore 

 very much pleased when Lord Cawdor undertook the busi- 

 ness with great kindness. [Ld. C.] rode off immediately to 

 see Sir John, who at first denied himself, but on receiving a 

 note from him, came running out and brought him back. 

 Lord Cawdor said he talked a great deal of nonsense, about 

 the injury of buying contiguous lands. Lord Cawdor en- 

 deavoured to set him right, and told him that according to 

 his principle there must be an end of auctions altogether, 

 and that he also should be glad to buy an estate of Sir 

 William Paxton's which lay close to him, if he could keep 

 off all bidders, and get it cheap. Sir John said, " Oh ! he 

 did not mean that, he did not want to get it cheap." After 

 some difficulty to keep him to his point, Lord C. got him to 

 say that he had no meaning in using the word " honorable ' 

 but to round his sentence, " honorable ' was " liberal," 

 ' gentlemanly," etc. Lord Cawdor wrote a definition of 

 Sir John's offensive sentence according to his new mode; 

 and with this paper rode off, and was back again with John 

 soon after two at Pembroke. This affair is another proof 

 of the imprudence of making anything that looks like an 

 apology for what you have done, that bears an unpleasing 

 aspect. An apology ought never to be made but when you 

 are absolutely in the wrong, and are willing to be considered 



Emma, now 1 6 years old, was confirmed in the autumn of 

 1824. Her mother wrote to Elizabeth: " As the confirma- 

 tion will soon take place I think it will be right in Emma to 

 be confirmed, and therefore I hope she will feel no objection. 

 You and Fanny had better go with Emma, and if your aunt 



