a
child, or idiotic; and say what a good housekeeper his little maid was
to him, and how she could do so many things; and the Duke took it all
with courtesy, yet did not encourage it, as if he understood her ways
better than her father did--which was, very likely, true enough.

"And you come up to London, mistress," he said, "no doubt," with a look
at her dress that was not at all insolent, and yet very plain. And it
was indeed a pretty good one; and I remember it very well. It was cut
like a French sac--a fashion that had first come in about ten years
before, and still lasted; and was a little lower at the throat than many
that she wore. It was of a brownish kind of yellow, of which I do not
know the name, and had white lace to it, and silver lace on the bodice.
She was sunburnt again, but not too much, as I had first seen her; and
her blue eyes looked very bright in her face; and she wore a ring on
either hand, as she usually did in the evening, and had her little
pearls round her neck. It was strange to me how I observed all this, so
soon as the Duke had drawn attention to it; whereas I had not observed
it particularly before.

Wen we went into supper it was the same with the Duke and her. He
behaved to her with the greatest deference, yet not at all exaggerated
so as to be in the least insolent. He treated her, it appeared to me, as
he would have treated one of his own ladies, though there had been every
excuse, especially with Cousin Tom's way of speaking to her, and the
deep country we were in, if he had not noticed her at all. Mr. Atkins,
as he called himself, followed suit; but said very little. Once, when
the dishes had to be taken away, and Dolly rose to do it--before I could
move--(my Cousin Tom, of course, sat there like a dummy)--I observed the
Duke make a little movement with his eyes towards Mr. Atkins, who
immediately rose up and did it for her.

The effect of all this upon me was to make me do my best in talk; but it
was not very easy without betraying that I knew more of the Court than
might be supposed; but the Duke outdid me every time. He listened with
the greatest courtesy; and then said something a little better. I think
I have never seen a man do better; but it was always so with him. Five
years later he won the hearts of all the drapers in Taunton, in that
terrible enterprise of his, besides ranging on his side some of the
noblest blood in England. Twenty-six young maids in that town gave him