He then hastened to his carriage: and poor Morrice, frightened and confounded at the disaster he had occasioned, sneaked after him with much less ceremony. While Mr Meadows, wholly unconcerned by the distress and confusion around him, sat quietly picking his teeth, and looking on, during the whole transaction, with an unmeaning stare, that made it doubtful whether he had even perceived it. Order being now soon restored, the ladies finished their tea, and went up stairs. Cecilia, to whom the late accident had afforded much new and interesting matter for reflection, wished immediately to have returned home, but she was not the leader of the party, and therefore could not make the proposal. They then strolled through all the apartments, and having walked about till the fashionable time of retiring, they were joined by Sir Robert Floyer, and proceeded to the little room near the entrance to the great one, in order to wait for their carriages. Here Cecilia again met Miss Larolles, who came to make various remarks, and infinite ridicule, upon sundry unfashionable or uncostly articles in the dresses of the surrounding company; as well as to complain, with no little resentment, that Mr Meadows was again standing before the fire! Captain Aresby also advanced, to tell her he was quite _abattu_ by having so long lost sight of her, to hope she _would make a renounce_ of mortifying the world by discarding it, and to protest he had waited for his carriage till he was actually upon the point of being [_accable_.] In the midst of this _jargon_, to which the fulness of Cecilia's mind hardly permitted her to listen, there suddenly appeared at the door of the apartment, Mr Albany, who, with his usual austerity of countenance, stopt to look round upon the company. “Do you see,” cried Mr Gosport to Cecilia, “who approaches? your poor _sycophants_ will again be taken to task, and I, for one, tremble at the coming storm!” “O Lord,” cried Miss Larolles, “I wish I was safe in my chair! that man always frightens me out of my senses. You've no notion what disagreeable things he says to one. I assure you I've no doubt but he's crazy; and I'm always in the shockingest fright in the world for fear he should be taken with a fit while I'm near him.” “It is really a petrifying thing,” said the Captain, “that one can go to no _spectacle_ without the _horreur_ of being _obsede_ by that person! if he comes this way, I shall certainly make a renounce, and retire.” “Why so?” said Sir Robert, “what the d---l do you mind him for?” “O he is the greatest bore in nature!” cried the Captain, “and I always do _mon possible_ to avoid him; for he breaks out in such barbarous phrases, that I find myself _degoute_ with him in a moment.” “O, I assure you,” said Miss Larolles, “he attacks one sometimes in a manner you've no idea. One day he came up to me all of a sudden, and asked me what good I thought I did by dressing so much? Only conceive how shocking!”