should a coxcomb come by a heart? Vanity I knew he had in abundance, but
this gave me no alarm, as I thought that if it should ever make him forget
him self, I mean forget what was due to me, I could, by one flash of my
wit, strike him to the earth, or blast him for ever. One night we had been
together at Mrs. Luttridge's;--she, amongst other good things, kept a faro
bank, and, I am convinced, cheated. Be that as it may, I lost an immensity
of money, and it was my pride to lose with as much gaiety as any body else
could win; so I was, or appeared to be, in uncommonly high spirits, and
Lawless had his share of my good humour. We left Mrs. Luttridge's together
early, about half-past one. As the colonel was going to hand me to my
carriage, a smart-looking young man, as I thought, came up close to the
coach door, and stared me full in the face: I was not a woman to be
disconcerted at such a thing as this, but I really was startled when the
young fellow jumped into the carriage after me: I thought he was mad: I
had only courage enough to scream. Lawless seized hold of the intruder to
drag him out, and out he dragged the youth, exclaiming, in a high tone,
'What is the meaning of all this, sir? Who the devil are you? My name's
Lawless: who the devil are you?' The answer to this was a convulsion of
laughter. By the laugh I knew it to be Harriot Freke. 'Who am I? only a
Freke!' cried she: 'shake hands.' I gave her my hand, into the carriage
she sprang, and desired the colonel to follow her: Lawless laughed, we all
laughed, and drove away. 'Where do you think I've been?' said Harriot; 'in
the gallery of the House of Commons; almost squeezed to death these four
hours; but I swore I'd hear Sheridan's speech to-night, and I did; betted
fifty guineas I would with Mrs. Luttridge, and have won. Fun and Freke for
ever, huzza!' Harriot was mad with spirits, and so noisy and unmanageable,
that, as I told her, I was sure she was drunk. Lawless, in his silly way,
laughed incessantly, and I was so taken up with her oddities, that, for
some time, I did not perceive we were going the Lord knows where; till, at
last, when the 'larum of Harriot's voice ceased for an instant, I was