Having
satisfied our appetites, and made ourselves merry at the expense of
the person of honour, the civil captain, and complaisant husband,
I did myself the pleasure of discharging the bill by stealth, for
which I received a great many apologies and acknowledgments from
my guests, and we re-embarked at the first warning. The officer was
obliged, at last, to appease his hunger with a luncheon of bread
and cheese, and a pint bottle of brandy, which he dispatched in
the coach, cursing the inappetence of his lordship, who had ordered
dinner to be put back a whole hour.
Nothing remarkable happened during the remaining part of our
journey, which was finished next day, when I waited on the ladies
to the house of a relation, in which they intended to lodge, and,
passing that night at the inn, took lodgings in the morning for
myself.
The forenoon was spent in visiting everything that was worth seeing
in the place, in company with a gentleman to whom Banter had given
me a letter of introduction; and in the afternoon I waited on the
ladies, and found Miss a good deal indisposed with the fatigue of
their journey. As they foresaw they should have occasion for a male
acquaintance to squire them at all public places, I was received
with great cordiality, and had the mother's permission to conduct
them next day to the Long Room, which we no sooner entered, than
the eyes of everybody present were turned upon us, and, when we had
suffered the martyrdom of their looks for some time, a whisper
circulated at our expense, which was accompanied with many
contemptuous smiles and tittering observations, to my utter shame
and confusion.
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