It were treason to withhold from his Majesty such a tearing bit of scandal.

She had no reason to suspect that the telling of what had happened and of what she had deduced would bring trouble to Frances and George.

She simply knew that the king would be vastly pleased with the story, and her only purpose in life was to give him pleasure.

How well she pleased him in this instance and the result of her innocent effort to make him happy will soon appear.
The day after the adventure of Frances and Nelly at the Old Swan, I had business with Backwell, the goldsmith, and when I had disposed of my matters, I walked over to the Old Swan near by to eat a grilled lobster, a dish for which the inn was famous.

I knew nothing of the trouble that had occurred the day before, not having seen my cousin, nor did I know that Hamilton was in London, not having seen nor heard from him since Frances's arrival at court.
By far my greatest motive in going to the Old Swan was to see Betty, whose beauty and sweetness had begun to haunt me about that time.
If Mary Hamilton had shown me the least evidence of warmth, my admiration for Bettina, perhaps, would have remained merely admiration.