about the deanery
of Christ Church,(10) which has been above six months vacant, and he
is heartily angry. I reckon you are now preparing for your Wexford
expedition; and poor Dingley is full of carking and caring, scolding.
How long will you stay? Shall I be in Dublin before you return? Don't
fall and hurt yourselves, nor overturn the coach. Love one another, and
be good girls; and drink Presto's health in water, Madam Stella; and in
good ale, Madam Dingley.

27. The Secretary appointed me to dine with him to-day, and we were to
do a world of business: he came at four, and brought Prior with him,
and had forgot the appointment, and no business was done. I left him at
eight, and went to change my gown at Mrs. Vanhomrigh's; and there was
Sir Andrew Fountaine at ombre with Lady Ashburnham and Lady Frederic
Schomberg, and Lady Mary Schomberg,(11) and Lady Betty Butler, and
others, talking; and it put me in mind of the Dean and Stoyte, and
Walls, and Stella at play, and Dingley and I looking on. I stayed with
them till ten, like a fool. Lady Ashburnham is something like Stella; so
I helped her, and wished her good cards. It is late, etc.

28. Well, but I must answer this letter of our MD's. Saturday
approaches, and I han't written down this side. O, faith, Presto has
been a sort of a lazy fellow: but Presto will remove to town this day
se'ennight; the Secretary has commanded me to do so; and I believe he
and I shall go for some days to Windsor, where he will have leisure to
mind some business we have together. To-day, our Society (it must not
be called a Club) dined at Mr. Secretary's: we were but eight; the rest
sent excuses, or were out of town. We sat till eight, and made some laws
and settlements; and then I went to take leave of Lady Ashburnham,
who goes out of town to-morrow, as a great many of my acquaintance are
already, and left the town very thin. I shall make but short journeys
this summer, and not be long out of London. The days are grown sensibly
short already, all our fruit blasted. Your Duke of Ormond is still
at Chester; and perhaps this letter will be with you as soon as he.
Sterne's business is quite blown up: they stand to it to send him back
to the Commissioners of the Revenue in Ireland for a reference, and
all my credit could not alter it, though I almost fell out with
the secretary of the Treasury,(12) who is my Lord Treasurer's
cousin-germain, and my very good friend. It seems every step he has
hith