The season had commenced, London was filling, and His Royal Highness entertaining with his usual hospitality. I had not got over my shyness, but preferred the smaller parties. One evening I was rather late; the dinner-party were actually waiting for me. As I entered the room, a voice close by called out, “Waiter, are my steaks ready?” which was immediately replied to, “No, sir; but your chops are.” I found that I owed _one_ to Mr. Yates, the then famous ventriloquist. I found an opportunity to join my sisters, who had assembled at Holkham. Mary had married Mr. Stephenson, and Georgina, Colonel Hill; and with the Coke children it was very cheery. There was a distinguished American, Mr. Paterson, who had a charming wife and two tall, handsome daughters. It was the custom in those days to have after-dinner prayers. On my sister inviting Mr. Paterson to attend, he replied, “I thank you Lady Anne; but I pray devoutly and sincerely, _once_ a week!” [Illustration: _Holkham._] [Sidenote: June-July.] My father had married and was abroad, but I could not leave Norfolk without looking up my favourite elder brother Edward, the clergyman at Quidenham. During my short stay he proposed a visit to the mere, where we had so often fished, rowed, and skated together. On our way we had to pass a hollow oak. Edward told me that if I rapped the tree with my stick an owl would fly out. I did rap, and the horrid bird in its fright upset a bucket of whitewash over the parson’s black coat; thought I should never have stopped laughing. My brother Tom was at sea in the _Undaunted_, 46, commanded by Sir Augustus Clifford. These were stirring times. When back at Portsmouth I found a fleet of Russian ships of the line extending from St. Helens to the Mother Bank. [Sidenote: August.] The _Tweed_ had been fitted for the Mediterranean station. A Caffre war had for some time been going on at the Cape. The _Espoir_, 16, commanded by F. Greville, was ordered to convey money for payment of the troops. At the eleventh hour, having shipped the gold and silver, her Captain found he could not carry the copper change, without which the silver was almost useless; so the next ship had to take it, and we missed Navarino. Half the Russian fleet were ordered back to Cronstadt, and the remaining sailed for Milo, the Lord High Admiral sending orders to Admiral Sir Edward Codrington, Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean. It was whispered afterwards that Sir Edward found a pencil scratch in the corner of his orders, “Go it, Ned!” The Captain and officers took the greatest interest in the interior fitting as well as that of the outside. Belonging to a ship “going foreign,” I was allowed to have my examination in navigation a year earlier. Out of the dozen who went up, I passed second, George Goldsmith, afterwards my much-esteemed First Lieutenant in the _Childers_, having passed first. [Sidenote: Aug. 31.]