THE OLD GEORGE STEAMER. 401 



at the charge (no charge will be required) ; my life on 

 it my gentleman makes off in any required direction. 

 This reminds me of an anecdote of a servant of 

 mine : it may on a similar occasion be useful to ladies, 

 so I will mention it. My wife had once been so long 

 tormented by a milliner as to trimming a bonnet, that 

 she determined to have it home finished or unfinished : 

 she sent a note to this purpose by George (Old George 

 as he was called), acquainted him with its purport, 

 with directions not to return without the bonnet. On 

 handing in the note, a written answer was handed to 

 him : Old George knew a bonnet could not be con- 

 tained in a small note, so demanded the former as an 

 accompaniment. He was told to " go about his busi- 

 ness"- this, to do him justice, was a useless order, 

 for he never neglected it. He considered his business 

 in this case was to get the bonnet, and have it he 

 would, if any human being could get it. This his 

 mistress well knew, and this he took upon himself 

 verbally to let Mademoiselle know. He then quietly 

 sat down in the passage : he was of course ordered 

 out : Old George only grinned a ghastly grin (I never 

 knew him laugh). He was threatened with expulsion 

 by some man to be called in : Old George only grinned 

 more ghastly than before, for he was one who would 

 have made most men grin who had tried this with 

 him. He was at last told to "sit there till he was 

 tired:" he only grinned at this either. Now George 

 (whenever he could indulge in it) was a smoker : not 

 one of your small Thames smokers ; no, he was a re- 

 gular Great Western, Great Liverpool, nay Great 

 Britain herself, and always went provided for a cloud. 

 Presently Mademoiselle and half her coterie came run- 

 ning down. There was Old George quietly but ener~ 



VOL. I. D D 



