LETTER CLXIII 259 



Mem : I do not mean by ye close of ye last Sentence a Slur on 

 your Intention of employing the Art of Mr. Grim, or any other 

 more accomplished Designer : I wish he may add to ye 

 Pleasure of ye world, as much as he will gratify my Partiality, 

 if he can convey* your truly delectable scenes. 



I beg my best Compliments to your good Neighbours, who 

 joined to make my Time pass away agreeably, not forgetting 

 Miss White, who favoured me in presiding at your Table while 

 I was there ; no contemptible Mattery in a young Lady to an 

 old Fellow. 



You will receive a Key, which my Servant put in his Pockett ; 

 Thomas's Horse fell awkwardly wth Him at Mr Yalden's Gate ; 

 & Jo : running to help him fm his Embarrassment, thrust ye 

 Key into his Pockett & foolishly forgot it, being conscious that 

 he had had it in his Hand to deliver & so discharging his 

 Conscience too soon. 



Mrs Mulso & my Daughter met me from their Journey at ye 

 Gate, & I was just in polite Time to hand them out. Sr Peter, 

 Lady, Mr, & Miss Rivers come to Us Tomorrow Ev'ning ; but I 

 hope Mrs Mulso will be more capable to receive them at that 

 Time than She is now. I have seldom seen her so ill as She is 

 Today ; but I will say ye less now, because I will not seal this 

 'till Tomorrow, when I hope to be able to give a better Account 

 of Her. I told her what You had said about keeping a Chaise ; 

 & She joined me in wishing that a better Eeason than You 

 assigned would hasten your Eesolution, as it would set You 

 upon making your Accesses more conformable & favourable to 

 her Inclinations to wait on You. 



Good Thomas, I presume, gave You an Account of seeing 

 Me safe to Tistead ; I stole on for ye rest of ye way quietly and 

 peaceably ; called for a little while at West Meon : my Landlord 

 spoke of ye heavy Rains & distant Thunder, which he supposed 

 to be strong at Winchester ; It was there a long Storm, but not 

 so very greivous as might have been expected ; the Rain was 

 exceeding heavy. 



Sunday. Here is a dismal wet day, but it is a better than 

 yesterday in one Respect, because Mrs Mulso is better; tho' 

 very tender after | 



The Prebendal Ladies of Winchester are in a dismal Scrape 

 about Mrs Bentham : | I am vexed that Mrs Mulso was not 

 there, who would have known Mrs Bentham & prevented ye 

 affront ; for they turned her out of their Stalls ; & not having a 

 Suspicion of her due Station in Life, left her to find her Way 

 where She could; which, She, not being acquainted with, stood 

 in ye Body of ye Choir. It is a strange Affair, & tells ill. Alass, 



* Letter imperfect. t Letter imperfect. J Lady Southey. — J.M. 



