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2
past 2 O Clock a plain looking english
post chaise with 8 horses went by in which was
the new Dutchess.
As soon as I had collected my
things and got a Valet de place I sent him with
a note to Baron Klopman begging to know
when I might have the honour of waiting on him.
The answer was that he was not at home but
was expected in ½ an hour. The ½ hour was
scarcely over before an humble imitation of an
english carriage Chariot with small windows and bad
glass came to the door. and my servant had
just time to tell me that it was the Baron's
carriage before he entered the room in propria
persone. As I heard much of his quick and all-
-seeing eyes it was these I employed mine in
watching their motions as narrowly as possible
while we made our first bows and compliments.
I believe it was I who broke silence first at least
in any intelligible terms by asking if it was to Baron
Klopman that I had the honour of paying my
respects. Apologies were next of course to be made
for the disorder of the room, and he was to be
beg'd to sit down but notwithstanding I used all
the rhetoric I was master of and repeated my solicitations
from time to time during the hour
or half hour which he staid with me I could
not prevail on him to be seated. Whether his
Dignity or the Etiquette forbad him to sit down with me or whether
he had been so much accustomed to stand in
the presence of the Duke his Master as to find
it unnatural any other posture unnatural:
or whether he thought of staying only a minute
or two and on that account kept himself
in readiness to take his leave, I shall not
pretend to determine. We were not absolutely
motionless all the time but I believe the
motions we both made did not excede the
limits of a circle of a 3 feet radius.
But however if our bodies were a little genès our
conversation was far from being so. I gave
him my letter which he stuft immediately into
his waistcoat pocket, and began talking about
something else. To be sure I had rather he had
opened it and talked about the contents.
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Identifier: | JB/538/416/002"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 538. |
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1779-12-18 |
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538 |
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416 |
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002 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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