^oS COACHING DAYS AND COACHING WAYS 



when she gets to Brighton — which she did on this 

 occasion at about nine o'clock in the evening — she is in 

 her element. Then she becomes rich — rich in description, 

 humour, observation, analysis, rich in everything in 

 short which can help to bring the terminus of the 

 Brighton Road in 1779 vividly before our eyes. I do 

 not think that I can do better than follow her for a day 

 or two through the pages of the diary which so racily 

 describes this visit. 



The day then after her arrival. Miss Burney dined at 

 the Ship Tavern — ^■(now known as the Old Ship, by 

 actors, authors, managers, and other distressed un- 

 fortunates, jaded with their labours and in search of 

 change between the Saturday and the Monday). Not 

 that Miss Burney dined in such congenial company. 

 Far from it. She dined at the officers' mess — she forgets 

 to say of what regiment, to which she had been specially 

 invited by the major and captain. The next morning 

 there arrived at Mrs. Thrale's house, which was situated 

 in West Street, a melancholy and typical personage, who 

 was destined to inflict upon Miss Burney several very 

 bad quarters of an hour. This was one Dr. Dewlap. 

 The wretched man had written a tragedy, and had also 

 had it accepted. His attitude towards men and things 

 may therefore be imagined ; and was I need hardly say 

 carefully noted by Miss Burney, who had herself written 

 a comedy — accepted also. But Dr. Dewlap seems to 

 have been a very wicked specimen of the budding 

 dramatic author. He was commonly of course naturally 

 grave, silent, and absent ; yet when any subject with 

 which he was conversant had once been begun, he 

 worked it threadbare : and, wretch that he was, seemed 

 hardly to know when all was over ; or, what is more 

 remarkable, whether anything had passed. He was 

 thinking of his tragedy, no doubt. 



Not the least noxious point about him was that his 

 appearance was " smug and reserved." He soon however 

 gave Mrs. Thralc his play to read. A deed which drove 



