KEW IN FAVOUR 47 



short-sighted visitor hardly needed to be told 

 who he was. As every one in the room drew 

 back out of the way, she was for slipping off; 

 but the King asked in a loud whisper, "Is 

 that Miss Burney ? " and after good-naturedly 

 giving her time to recover from her modest 

 confusion, entered upon a conversation of 

 questions, punctuated with what, whats, in 

 which he showed himself very inquisitive as to 

 how she had come to write and print Evelina. 

 The Queen soon followed, to whom George 

 introduced her by repeating their conversation ; 

 and Miss Burney went to bed enraptured with 

 her new acquaintances. Further interviews 

 followed, which only increased her admiration, 

 though the satirist rather than the courtier 

 peeps out in her account of directions given her 

 for behaviour in the presence of royalty. 



Her demeanour certainly gave satisfaction in 

 the royal circle, for a few months afterwards she 

 was offered the post of one of the Queen's 

 dressers, which she accepted after some modest 

 misgiving. We remember Macaulay's indigna- 

 tion, " That with talents which had instructed 

 and delighted the highest living minds, she should 

 now be employed only in mixing snuff and in 



