don't know if he remembers it."

The king, afterwards, inquired after his present family, meaning
his dogs, which he is famed for breeding and preserving.

"Why, sir," he answered, "I have now only twelve. Once, I
recollect, when your majesty was so gracious as to ask me about
them, I happened to have twenty-two; and so I told you, sir.
Upon my word, Sir, it made me very uneasy afterwards when I came
to reflect upon it: I was afraid your majesty might think I
presumed to joke!"

The king then asked him for some account of the Marlborough
family, with which he is very particularly connected and desired
to know which among the young Lady Spencers was his favourite.

"Upon my word, sir, I like them all! Lady Elizabeth is a charming
young lady--I believe, Sir, I am most in her favour; I don't know
why, Sir. But I happened to write a letter to the duke, sir,
that she took a fancy to; I don't know the reason, sir, but she
begged it. I don't know what was in the letter,

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sir-I could never find out; but she took a prodigious fancy to
it, sir."

The king laughed heartily, and supposed there might be some
compliments to herself in it.