y Bellair to. Mrs.
Montgomery Floyd; 'she is not in your way. I shall introduce you to Lady
Splash and Dashaway; she is to be your friend.'

Mrs. Montgomery Floyd seemed consoled by the splendid future of being
the friend of Lady Splash and Dashaway, and easily to endure, with such
a compensation, the somewhat annoying remarks of her noble patroness.

'But as for Bonmot,' continued Lady Bellair, 'I will have nothing to
do with him. General Faneville, he is a dear good man, and gives me
dinners. I love dinners: I never dine at home, except when I have
company. General Faneville not only gives me dinners, but lets me
always choose my own party. And he said to me the other day, "Now, Lady
Bellair, fix your day, and name your party." I said directly, "General,
anybody but Bonmot." You know Bonmot is his particular friend.'

'But surely that is cruel,' said Henrietta Temple, smiling.

'I am cruel,' said Lady Bellair, 'when I hate a person I am very cruel,
and I hate Bonmot. Mr. Fox wrote me a copy of verses once, and called
me "cruel fair;" but I was not cruel to him, for I dearly loved Charles
Fox; and I love you, and I love your father. The first party your father
ever was at, was at my house. There, what do you think of that? And
I love my grandchildren; I call them all my grand-children. I think
great-grandchildren sounds silly; I am so happy that they have married
so well. My dear Selina is a countess; you shall be a countess, too,'
added Lady Bellair, laughing. 'I must see you a countess before I die.
Mrs. Grenville is not a countess, and is rather poor; but they will be
rich some day; and Grenville is a good name: it sounds well. That is a
great thing. I hate a name that does not sound well.'

CHAPTER VI.

_Containing a Conversation Not Quite so Amusing as the
Last_.

IN THE evening Henrietta amused her guests with music. Mrs. Montgomery
Floyd was enthusiastically fond of music, and very proud of her intimate
friendship with Pasta. 'Oh! you know her, do you?' 'Very well; you shall
bring her to my house. She shall sing at all my parties; I love music at
my evenings, but I never pay for it, never. If she will not come in the
evening, I will try to ask her to dinner, once at least. I do not like
singers and tumblers at dinner, but she is very fashionable, and young
men like her; and what I want at my dinners are young men, young men of
very great fashion. I rather want young men at my dinners. I ha