crown, had been fitted up for her accommodation. At this house,
the king and queen sometimes called, and found a very natural
pleasure in thus catching an occasional glimpse of the private
life of English families.

In December, 1785, Miss Burney was on a visit to Mrs. Delany at
Windsor. The dinner was over. The old lady was taking a nap. Her
grandniece, a little girl of seven, was playing at some Christmas
game with the visitors, when the door opened, and a stout
gentleman entered unannounced, with a star on his breast, and
"What? what? what?" in his mouth. A cry of "The king!" was set
up. A general scampering followed. Miss Burney owns that she
could not have been more terrified if she had seen a ghost. But
Mrs. Delany came forward to pay her duty to her royal friend, and
the disturbance was quieted. Frances was then presented, and
underwent a long examination and crossexamination about all that
she had written, and all that she meant to write. The queen soon
made her appearance, and his majesty repeated, for the benefit of
his consort, the information which he had extracted from Miss
Burney. The good nature of the royal pair might have softened
even the authors of the "Probationary Odes,"(17) and could not
but be delightful to a young lady who had been brought up a Tory.
In a few days the visit was repeated. Miss Burney was more at
ease than before. His majesty, instead of seeking for
information, condescended to impart it, and passed sentence on
many great writers, English and foreign. Voltairehe pronounced a
monster. Rousseau he liked rather better. "But was there ever,"
he cried, " such stuff as great part of Shakspeare? Only one must
not say so. But what think you? What? Is there not sad stuff?
What? What?"