r she was burnt to death, and had for her
funeral pile part of the noble historical house of Hatfield, which
was destroyed by the same accident.]

Lord Lansdowne desired to be introduced to me, and talked to me a
long time. I thought him very good-natured and a charming talker.
Mrs. Bradshaw (Maria Tree) was there, looking beautiful. Our
hostess's daughter, Miss F----, is very pretty, but just misses
being a beauty; in that case a miss is a great deal worse than a
mile. Just as the rooms were beginning to thin, and we were going
away, Lord O---- sat down to the piano. I had heard a great deal
about his singing, and was rather disappointed; he has a sweet
voice and a sweet face, but Henry Greville's bright, sparkling
countenance and expressive singing are worth a hundred such mere
musical sentimentalities. [Mr. Henry Greville was one of the best
amateur singers of the London society of his day. He was the
intimate personal friend of Mario, whom I remember he brought to
our house, when first he arrived in London, as M. de Candia, before
the beginning of his public career, and when, in the very first
bloom of youth, his exquisite voice and beautiful face produced in
society an effect which only briefly forestalled the admiration of
all Europe when he determined to adopt the profession which made
him famous as the incomparable tenor of the Italian stage for so
many years.] Then, too, those lads sing songs, the words of which
give one the throat-ache with strangled crying, and when they have
done you hear the women all round mincing, "Charming!--how
nice!--sweet!--what a dear!--darling creature!"

_Thursday, 26th._--Murray was most kind and good-natured and
liberal about all the arrangements for publishing "Francis I." and
"The Star of Seville." He will take them both, and defer the
publication of the first as long as the managers of Covent Garden
wish him to do so. [As there was some talk just then of bringing
out "The Star of Seville" at the theater, it was thought better not
to forestall its effect by the publication of "Francis I."]

At the theater the play was "The School for Scandal." A---- F----
was there, with young Sheridan; I hope the latter approved of my
method of speaking the speeches of his witty great-grandfather. I
played well, th