To contribute as much as lay in her power to the satisfaction of
all present, she in the afternoon regaled them with a tune on the
harpsichord, accompanied with her voice, which, though not the
most melodious in the world, I dare say, would have been equally
at their service could she have vied with Philomel in song; and
as the last effort of her complaisance, when dancing was proposed,
she was prevailed on, at the request of her new sister, to open
the ball in person.

In a word, Mrs. Grizzle was the principal figure in this festival,
and almost eclipsed the bride; who, far from seeming to dispute
the pre-eminence, very wisely allowed her to make the best of
her talents; contenting herself with the lot to which fortune had
already called her and which she imagined would not be the less
desirable if her sister-in-law were detached from the family.

I believe I need scarce advertise the reader that, during this whole
entertainment, the commodore and his lieutenant were quite out of
their element; and this, indeed, was the case with the bridegroom
himself, who being utterly unacquainted with any sort of polite
commerce, found himself under a very disagreeable restraint during
the whole scene.

Trunnion, who had scarce ever been on shore till he was paid off,
and never once in his whole life in the company of any females
above the rank of those who herd on the Point at Portsmouth, was
more embarrassed about his behaviour than if he had been surrounded
at sea by the whole French navy. He had never pronounced the word
"madam" since he was born; so that, far from entering into conversation