DR. BURNEY'S VISIT AND POEM 201 



1 drove through Slough in order to auk at 

 Herschcl'M door when sit would be leant incon- 



venient to him that night or next morning. The 

 good soul was at dinner, but came to the door himaelf 

 to preas me to alight immediately, and partake of hi* 

 family ivpaM : iin.l this ) ,li,J no heartily that I 

 could not resist. I expected (not knowing that 



Herschel was married) only to have found Mian 

 achel . i-ut there was a very old lady, the mot I 

 U-h.-ve. of Mrs. Herschel, who was at the head of the 

 table herself, and a Scots lady (a Miss Wilson, daughter 



: \Vilaon of Glasgow, an eminent astronomer), 

 Miss Herscht 1 little boy. They rejoiced at th 



nt, which had brought me there, and hoped I 

 would send my carriage away and take a bed with 



them 



* We soon grew acquainted I mean the ladies and 

 I and before dinner was over we seemed old friends 

 just met after a long absence, Mrs. Herschel is 

 sensible, good-humoured, unpretending, and well-bred ; 

 Miss Herschel all shyness and virgin modesty . 

 Soots lady sensible and harmless; and the little boy 

 entertaining, promising, and comical Hentch--! 



A, and everybody knows, is one of the most 

 pleasing and well-bred natural characters of the pre- 

 sent age, as well as the greatest astronon 



be *h \ ness and virgin modesty" of little Miss 

 Herschel, at the youthful age of forty-eight, are over- 

 done in this word-picture by Dr. Burney. Coul 

 have got her views of their v is i tor's flattery and 

 y would perhaps have been an amusing 

 ion to the fund of drollery and acidity, with 

 r recollections are pleasantly flavoured. And 



