Now listen!—
To those so mourned in death, so lov'd in life,
The childless parent and the widowed wife—
meaning the same lady; it was only a neat way they had of doubling up a sentiment in those days!—
With tears inscribes this monumental stone,
That holds their ashes and expects her own!
and everybody, including Mr. Pope, thought it perfectly sweet at the time. Then what does this degenerate widow do, after giving Mr. Pope every reason to believe that she would fulfil his poetry?'
'She marries again,' I said.
'Quite right; she marries again. But you needn't try to impose upon me, miss! To come to that conclusion you didn't require any previous information whatever! She marries again, and you can't think how it vexed Mr. Pope.'
'I know,' I said, 'he declared that was the last of his lending the use of his genius to widows'—for I had to assume some knowledge of the subject.