EXTORTION. 107 



common nature was well known ; and 

 the gentleman who had the credit of 

 editing or compiling the heroine's re- 

 miniscences, and sharing in the produce, 

 I had met in private company. 



On my first perusal I condemned the 

 book, as I strongly suspected it to be 

 nothing more or less than an infamous 

 attempt to extort money. 



This formed the subject of conversa- 

 tion one morning between me and the 

 Right Honourable gentleman. He ac- 

 knowledged that I was right in my 

 conjecture, and stated that he knew a 

 person who had been applied to for a 

 sum of money to have his name omit- 

 ted from a long list of those members 

 of the aristocracy who came within the 

 frail fair one's acquaintance. This he 

 had refused. Whether the threatened 

 consequence followed, I was not then 

 aware. On his next journey up, it com- 

 ing on to rain, he got inside, and when 



