A Walk from London to FulhamCroker, Thomas Crofton
History
A Walk from London to Fulham
Croker, Thomas Crofton
London (England) -- Description and travel
“Indeed, Sir, I resolved, if ever I came to town, to find out your
haunts, if possible, and I have not ‘said anything that is not,’ nor
am at all naughty in this respect, for I give you my word, endeavours
have not been wanting. You never go to public places. I knew not
where to look for you (without making myself known) except in the
Park, which place I have frequented most warm days. Once I fancied I
met you; I gave a sort of a fluttering start, and surprised my
company; but presently recollected you would not deceive me by
appearing in a grey, instead of a whitish coat; besides the cane was
wanting, otherwise I might have supposed you in mourning.”
Could anything exceed this touch about “a grey, instead of a whitish
coat,” except the finishing one of the “mole upon your left cheek?”
“To be sure on the Saturday you mention, I was dressing for court, as
you supposed, and have never been in the Park upon a Sunday; but you
cannot be sure that I have not seen you. How came I to know that you
have a mole upon your left cheek? But not to make myself appear more
knowing than I am, I’ll tell you, Sir, that I have only seen you in
effigy, in company with your Clarissa at Mr. Highmore’s, where I
design making you another visit shortly.”
All this and much more is followed by a most tantalizing and puzzling
P.S. to poor Richardson. His fair, or rather “brown as an oak-wainscot,
with a good deal-of-country-red in her cheeks” correspondent, requests
him “to direct only to C. L., and enclose it to Miss J., to be left at
Mrs. G.’s” etc. etc., previously observing that, “whenever there happens
to be a fine Saturday I shall look for you in the Park, that being the
day on which I suppose you are called that way.”
Roused into desperation, Richardson on the 2nd February writes to Mrs.
Belfour as follows:—
“What pains does my unkind correspondent take to conceal herself!
Loveless thought himself at liberty to change names without Act of
Parliament. I wish, madam, that Lovelace—‘A sad dog,’ said a certain
lady once, ‘why was he made so wicked, yet so agreeable?’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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