CHAPTER X.

Royal Visit to Weymouth—Lyndhurst—Village Loyalty—Arrival at 251-277 Weymouth—Bathing to Music—Mrs. Gwynn—Mrs. Siddons—The Royal Party at the Rooms—First Sight of Mr. Pitt—The Marquis of Salisbury—Royal Tour—Visit to Longleat—Mrs. Delany—Bishop Ken—Tottenham Park—Return to Windsor— Progress of the French Revolution—Colonel Digby’s Marriage—Miss Burney’s Situation—A Senator—Tax on Bachelors—Reading to the Queen—Miss Burney’s Melancholy— Proposal for her Retirement—Her Tedious Solitude—Her Literary Inactivity—Her Declining Health—A Friendly Cabal— Windham and the Literary Club—James Boswell—Miss Burney’s Memorial to the Queen—Leave of Absence proposed—The Queen and Mrs. Schwellenberg—Serious Illness of Miss Burney— Discussions on her Retirement—A Day at the Hastings Trial— The Defence—A Lively Scene—The Duke of Clarence—Parting with the Royal Family—Miss Burney receives a Pension—Her Final Retirement