ms, and vexations, beforehand, of
course, but at last everything was quite right.
The rooms were dressed up with flowers, &c., and
looked very pretty. A glass for the mantelpiece
was lent by the man who is making their own. Mr.
Egerton and Mr. Walter came at half-past five, and
the festivities began with a pair of very fine
soles.

Yes, Mr. Walter--for he postponed his leaving
London on purpose--which did not give much
pleasure at the time, any more than the
circumstance from which it rose--his calling on
Sunday and being asked by Henry to take the family
dinner on that day, which he did; but it is all
smoothed over now, and she likes him very well.

At half-past seven arrived the musicians in two
hackney coaches, and by eight the lordly company
began to appear. Among the earliest were George
and Mary Cooke, and I spent the greatest part of
the evening very pleasantly with them. The
drawing-room being soon hotter than we liked, we
placed ourselves in the connecting passage, which
was comparatively cool, and gave us all the
advantage of the music at a pleasant distance, as
well as that of the first view of every new comer.

I was quite surrounded by acquaintance, especially
gentlemen; and what with Mr. Hampson,[224] Mr.
Seymour, Mr. W. Knatchbull, Mr. Guillemarde, Mr.
Cure, a Captain Simpson, brother to _the_ Captain
Simpson, besides Mr. Walter and Mr. Egerton, in
addition to the Cookes, and Miss Beckford, and
Miss Middleton, I had quite as much upon my hands
as I could do.

* * * * *

Including everybody we were sixty-six--which was
considerably more than Eliza had expected, and
quite enough to fill the back drawing-room and
leave a few to be scattered about in the other and
in the passage.

The music was extremely good. It opened (tell
Fanny) with 'Poike de Parp pin praise pof
Prapela;'[225] and of the other glees I remember,
'In peace love tunes,' 'Rosabelle,' 'The Red Cross
Knight,' and 'Poor Insect.' Between the songs were
lessons on the harp, or harp