“‘Well, my lord, after this I shall be quite sublime for some days! I shan’t descend into common life till—till Saturday, and then I shall drop into the vulgar style—I shall be in the ma foi way.
“I do really believe she could not resist this, for she had seemed determined to be quiet.
“When next there was a rat-tat, Mrs. Cholmondeley and Lord Harcourt, and my father again, at the command of the former, moved into the middle of the room, and then Sir Joshua Reynolds and Dr. Warton entered.
“No further company came. You may imagine there was a general roar at the breaking of the circle, and when they got into order, Mr. Sheridan seated himself in the place Mrs. Cholmondeley had left, between my father and myself.
“And now I must tell you a little conversation which I did not hear myself till I came home; it was between Mr. Sheridan and my father.
“‘Dr. Burney,’ cried the former, ‘have you no older daughters? Can this possibly be the authoress of ‘Evelina’?’
“And then he said abundance of fine things, and begged my father to introduce him to me.
“‘Why, it will be a very formidable thing to her,’ answered he, ‘to be introduced to you.’
“‘Well, then, by-and-by,’ returned he.
“Some time after this, my eyes happening to meet his, he waived the ceremony of introduction, and in a low voice said: