That excellent Lady Jane Preston is long gone, and so is Mr.P--- off in an apoplexy, and there is no harm now in telling the story.
The fact was, that Mr.Preston had fallen in love with Mary in a much more serious way than any of us imagined; for I do believe he invited his brother-in-law to Richmond for no other purpose than to pay court to his son's nurse.

And one day, as I was coming post-haste to thank him for the place he had procured for me, being directed by Mr.Charles to the "scrubbery," as he called it, which led down to the river--there, sure enough, I found Mr.Preston, on his knees too, on the gravel-walk, and before him Mary, holding the little lord.
"Dearest creature!" says Mr.Preston, "do but listen to me, and I'll make your husband consul at Timbuctoo! He shall never know of it, I tell you: he _can_ never know of it.

I pledge you my word as a Cabinet Minister! Oh, don't look at me in that arch way: by heavens, your eyes kill me!" Mary, when she saw me, burst out laughing, and ran down the lawn; my Lord making a huge crowing, too, and holding out his little fat hands.

Mr.
Preston, who was a heavy man, was slowly getting up, when, catching a sight of me looking as fierce as the crater of Mount Etna,--he gave a start back and lost his footing, and rolled over and over, walloping into the water at the garden's edge.

It was not deep, and he came bubbling and snorting out again in as much fright as fury.
"You d-d ungrateful villain!" says he, "what do you stand there laughing for ?" "I'm waiting your orders for Timbuctoo, sir," says I, and laughed fit to die; and so did my Lord Tiptoff and his party, who joined us on the lawn: and Jeames the footman came forward and helped Mr.Preston out of the water.
"Oh, you old sinner!" says my Lord, as his brother-in-law came up the slope.