Saturday, Dec. 28.-My father and I dined and spent
the day at Sir Joshua Reynolds’s, after many
preceding disappointments. I had a whispering
conversation with Mrs. Reynolds,(172) which made me
laugh, from her excessive oddness and absurdity.
“I had the most unfortunate thing in the world
happen to me,” she said, “about Mrs. Montagu,
and I always am in some distress or misfortune with
that lady. She did me the honour to invite me
to dine with her last week,—and I am sure
there is nobody in the world can be more obliged to
Mrs. Montagu taking such notice of any body;—but
just when the day came I was so unlucky as to be ill,
and that, you know, made it quite improper to go to
dine with Mrs. Montagu, for fear of disagreeable consequences.
So this vexed me very much, for I had nobody to send
to her that was proper to appear before Mrs. Montagu;
for to own the truth, you must know I have no servant
but a maid, and I could not think of sending such
a person to Mrs. Montagu. So I thought it best
to send a chairman, and to tell him only to ring at
the bell, and to wait for no answer; because then
the porter might tell Mrs. Montagu my servant brought
the note, for the porter could not tell but he might
be my servant.
But my maid was so stupid, she took the shilling I
gave her for the chairman, and went to a green-shop,
and bid the woman send somebody with the note, and
she left the shilling with her; so the green-woman,
I suppose, thought she might keep the shilling, and
instead of sending a chairman she sent her own errand-girl;
and she was all dirt and rags. But this is not
all; for,when the girl got to the house, nothing would
serve her but she would give the note to Mrs. Montagu,
and wait for an answer; so then, you know, Mrs. Montagu
saw this ragged green-shop girl. I was never
so shocked in my
life, for when she brought me back the note I knew
at once how it all was. Only think what a mortification,
to have Mrs. Montagu see such a person as that!
She must think it very odd of me indeed to send a
green-shop girl to such a house as hers!”
Mr. Soame
jenyns’s eulogy on “Cecilia.”
Friday, [Jan. 17, 1783.)-Now for this grand interview
with Soame Jenyns.(173) I went with my dear father
who was quite enchanted at the affair. Dear
soul, how he feeds upon all that brings fame to “Cecilia!”
his eagerness upon this subject, and his pleasure
in it, are truly enthusiastic, and, I think, rather
increase by fulness than grow satiated.
We were late; there was a good deal of company, not
in groups, nor yet in a circle, but seated square
round the room, in order following,—Miss
Ellerker, Mrs. Soame Jenyns, Mrs. Thrale, her daughter,
Mrs. Buller, Mr. Cambridge, senior, Mr. Soame Jenyns,
Mr. Selwin, Mr. Cambridge, junior, Miss Burgoyne, a
lady or two I knew not, and three or four men.
