prejudice--he succeeded in accomplishing her seduction, and she
continued to live under his "protection" till, on the birth of her
second child, she arrived at the true conviction that he never had any
intention of fulfilling his promise. There was at this time a silly
fellow about town, Mr. Joseph Hayne, of Burderop Park, Wiltshire,
familiarly known (in reference to the colour of his coat) as "Pea Green
Hayne," who fell in love with and proposed to the fascinating actress.
There was no attempt at concealment on her part: it was stated at the
trial which followed that she herself wished to communicate to him the
circumstance of her connexion with Colonel Berkeley, when this gallant
gentleman saved her the trouble of doing so, and one night when they
were in the pit of the opera together, took the characteristic course of
making Hayne acquainted with the liaison, and the fact that it still
existed. Hayne immediately broke off the engagement; but soon afterwards
not only renewed it, but fixed the day of marriage. Again he broke it
off, again yielded to the fascinations of his enslaver, and this time
not only was the wedding-day fixed and the license obtained, but "Pea
Green Hayne" took a solemn vow that nothing should separate him from the
object of his affections. Believing that all was safe, Miss Foote now
threw up her engagement and disposed of her theatrical wardrobe, but the
weak-minded, vacillating creature, who could not summon up resolution
either to have or to leave her, let matters go on to the very day, and
again failed to put in an appearance. Some preliminary letters having
passed between the parties, Maria then issued a writ, and recovered
L3,000 damages in the action which followed. The plaintiff, who seven
years afterwards became Countess of Harrington, died in 1867.

"Pea Green" Hayne was also known as the "Silver Ball," in allusion to
his large income, which was smaller however than that enjoyed by his
friend and contemporary, Hughes Ball. After his exposure in the action
Foote _v._ Hayne, he received the far more appropriate nickname of
"Foote-Ball."

The opportunity of course was improved by the caricaturists, and
Robert's contributions on the subject (1824 and 1825) are labelled
respectively, _Miss Foote in the King's Bench Battery_; _Miss Foote
putting her Foot in it_; and _A Foot on the Stage and Asses in the Pit,
or a New Year's Piece for 1825_. Other pictorial satires of Robert's
bearing the da