to suppress the passage in the other editions. After all, Lady - has one merit, and a great one in my eyes, which is, that in this age of cant and humbug, and in a country - I mean our own
dear England - where the cant of Virtue is the order of the day, she has contrived, without any
great resemblance of it, merely by force of - shall I call it impudence or courage? - not only to get herself into society, but absolutely to give the law to her own circle. She passes, also, for being clever; this, perhaps owing to my dulness, I never discovered, except that she has a way, en reine, of asking questions that show some reading. The first dispute I ever had with Lady Byron, was caused by my urging her to visit Lady -; and, what is odd enough," laughing with bitterness, " our first and last difference was caused by two very worthless women."
Observing that we appeared surprised at the extraordinary frankness, to call it by no harsher name, with which he talked of his ci-devant friends, he added: "Don't think the worse of me for what I have said: the truth is, I have witnessed such gross selfishness and want of feeling in Lady that I cannot resist speaking my sentiments of her." - I observed: "But are you not afraid she will hear what you say of her?"- He answered: "Were she to hear it she
