HER LADYSHIP SITS TO BERTHON. 351 



to Berthon, when the frotteur of the hotel, in the absence 

 of my servant, threw open the door, and announced in 

 one word, ' Lordvillanspence !' and enter the charming 

 William Spencer, the poet-laureate of the aristocracy of 

 London. What an agreeable surprise! He always 

 brings a bon-ton London atmosphere about him. Berthon 

 was charmed with the cordiality of our meeting, which, 

 he thought, brightened up my countenance — which had 

 hitherto expressed nothing but bore. He made Spencer 

 sit down — per far effetto — whence I could see him, and 

 kept poking my head with his mahl stick till, I am sure, 

 my pose gave me the air of an illustration of the petit 

 courier des dames. I took the opportunity of asking 

 Spencer for a copy of his beautiful verses of ' Apology 

 to Lady Anne Hamilton' for staying too late at her 

 house, spell-bound by the eyes of the lovely Susan Beck- 

 ford (afterwards the Duchess of Hamilton). He pre- 

 tended to have fbrgotten them. I said that was an affec- 

 tation unworthy of him ; and I repeated the first verse 

 myself: 



' Too late I stayed — forgive the crime, 

 For who could count the hours ? 

 For lightly falls the foot of time 

 That only treads on flowers,' &c. 



Berthon, affecting to be charmed with the metre, said, 

 ' Mais traduisez moi cela, Miladi.' I began, ' J'ai reste 

 trop tard l'autre soir,' but Spencer and I both burst out 

 laughing, so that we could not proceed. Berthon looked 

 confused. 'Oh!' said Spencer, in beautiful French, 'it 

 is only nonsense worthy of Yoiture ; or the Hotel Ram- 

 bouillet' ' Yraiment !' said Berthon, who had, most 



