quite so ready at paying. His father-in-law
disapproved of his conduct, paid his debts, and gave him a lecture at
the same time. The Chevalier de Grammont had won of him a thousand or
twelve hundred guineas, which he heard no tidings of, although he was
upon the eve of his departure, and he had taken leave of Cornwallis in a
more particular manner than any other person. This obliged the Chevalier
to write him a billet, which was rather laconic. It was this:

"MY LORD,

"Pray remember the Count de Grammont, and do not forget Sir Stephen
Fox."

To return to Talbot: he went away more concerned than became a man who
had voluntarily resigned his mistress to another: neither his stay in
Ireland, nor his solicitude about his domestic affairs, perfectly
cured him; and if at his return he found himself disengaged from
Miss Hamilton's chains, it was only to exchange them for others. The
alteration that had taken place in the two courts occasioned this change
in him, as we shall see in the sequel.

We have hitherto only mentioned the queen's maids of honour, upon
account of Miss Stewart and Miss Warmestre the others were Miss
Bellenden, Mademoiselle de la Garde and Mademoiselle Bardou, all maids
of honour, as it pleased God.

Miss Bellenden was no beauty, but was a good-natured girl, whose chief
merit consisted in being plump and fresh-coloured; and who, not having
a sufficient stock of wit to be a coquette in form, used all her
endeavours to please every person by her complaisance. Mademoiselle de
la Garde, and Mademoiselle Bardou, both French, had been preferred to
their places by the queen dowager: the first was a little brunette, who
was continually meddling in the affairs of her companions; and the
other by all means claimed the rank of a maid of honour, though she only
lodged with the others, and both her title and services were constantly
contested.

It was hardly possible for a woman to be more ugly, with so fine a
shape; but as a recompense, her ugliness was set off with every art. The
use she was put to, was to dance with Flamarens, and sometimes, towards
the conclusion of a ball, possessed of castanets and effrontery, she
would dance some figured saraband or other, which amused the court. Let
us now see in what manner this ended.

As Miss Stewart was very seldom in waiting on the queen, she was
scarcely considered as a maid of honour: the others went off almost at
the same time, by different adventures