174 HISTORY OF HARTING. 



than her present agreeable Consort, whose most en- 

 gaging Behaviour to People of all Ranks, renders him 

 the Darling of his County ; so that it may be truly 

 said this happy Couple, so exactly united, are real 

 Stocks of their noble ancestors, whose Extraction and 

 Characters are already too universally well known to 

 need any additional Account of them." * 



Lady Dolly Molyneux brought eventually a dower 

 of ; 6,000, but does not seem to have possessed the 

 strength of soul that the last of the Carylls needed to 

 sustain his own inherent weakness. The first letters 

 of the bride, in March and April, 1738, are full of 

 headaches hysteria and cockfighting, an ominous 

 combination. Thus, she writes to her husband : 

 " Little Owlton (near Preston, Lancashire, Lord 

 Molyneux' seat), April 7. I shall only tell you that 

 you are a little out of pockett ; wors cocks never was 

 than those his Honour fought : tho' you had y e good 

 luck to win by them, but y e feeder's bill was large." 

 The burthened acres of West Harting and West 

 Grinstead were not likely to be eased by such a lady 

 as this. At first the marriage was kept secret : Lady 

 Molyneux owned it to Lady Westmoreland and her 

 brother, Lord Brudenell, under a pledge that they 

 would not divulge it. 



Meanwhile, Lady Mary is at Lady Holt, preparing 

 it for the reception of her son and his bride. She is 

 at this time a curious mixture of gaiety and embarrass- 

 ment. " It is unaccountable that there is no money 

 to be had in this country ... If there be not some 

 better method taken we must be starved." Neverthe- 

 less, though constantly suffering from a kind of nervous 

 fever, or ague, the widow gaily cheers up on her son's 

 account, and through all her gossiping prattle about 

 this neighbourhood, shows a brave and affectionate 

 mother's-heart. Dec. 21, 1737, Lady Holt is smarten- 



"Athenaeum," Aug. 8th, 1874. 



