Nelson's Lady Hamilton by Meynell, Esther (surface ebook reader txt) 📕

"' Please your ladyship's honour, I have got into a bit of a scrawl.'

" '• What is the nature of it ?' said she, with great affability.

"' Why, you see, your ladyship's honour, I am reported drunk when on duty yesterday, to the captain, and he will touch me up unless your ladyship's honour interferes. I was not as sober as a judge, because, as why, I was freshish; but I was not drunk.'

"' A nice distinction ! Let me know what you had drunk.'

"' Why, you see, my lady, I was sent ashore after the dinner-grog ; and who should I see, on landing, but Tom Mason, from the Lion; and Tom says to me, says he, "Jack, let us board this here wine-shop ;" so after we had drunk a jug, and was making sail for the barge, as steady as an old pump-bolt, in comes Ned, funny Ned—

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your ladyship's honour recollects Ned, who dances the hornpipe before the king. " My eyes, Jack!" says he; "but we will have another jug, and I'll stand treat," says he ; so, you see, wishing to be agreeable like, I takes my share, and the boat waited for me. " You drunken rascal! " says Mr. St. Ives, the middy, to me, " but I'll report you." So I touches my hat, quite genteel like, which shows I was not drunk, and pulls on board without catching crabs ; and if your ladyship's honour will tell the admiral that I pulled on board without catching crabs, he will see with half an eye that I only shook a cloth in the wind.*

" ' Your name,' said ' Fair Emma/ taking out her tablets.

" * Jack Jones ; and God bless that handsome face, for it is the sailor's friend.'

" And Jack, hitching up his trousers, gave a scrape with his foot, and bounded off with a light heart, well knowing the powerful influence he had moved in his favour. 1 '

No wonder the many-sided Emma was always in demand during the weeks she spent on board the Foudroyant I She was never at a loss, never anything but kind and willing, whether it were to intercede for a seaman in danger of the lash, to interpret for the British Ambassador, to amuse the King—though in a little outburst to Greville she says, " We have had the King on board a month, and I have never been able to go once on shore.

LADY HAMILTON

GEORGE ROMNEY

Do yoil not call that slavery ?" —or to soothe and make much of Nelson. At this time Nelson was fretful and uneasy over orders he had received from Lord Keith to quit Sicily and go to Minorca —orders he was determined to disobey, for, as he boldly told his new commander-in-chief, " I have no scruple in deciding that it is better to save the kingdom of Naples and risk Minorca, than to risk the kingdom of Naples to save Minorca."

The first anniversary of the Battle of the Nile was brilliantly celebrated on board the Foudroyant —the King proposed the hero's health, the fleet was illuminated, and it may well be imagined with what ardour the radiant Emma would drink the toast and smile upon the admiral who had already fallen too much under the spell she wielded. It was dangerous for the simple-hearted Nelson to celebrate Egyptian victories with this new " serpent of old Nile."

On the 5th of August Emma wrote to Greville, telling him that "the kingdom of Naples is clear. Gaeta and Capua have capitulated, and we sail to-night for Palermo, having been here seven weeks. . . . We return with a kingdom to present to my much-loved Queen. I have allso been so happy to succeed in all my company and every-thing I was charged with." Then with her usual naive directness she informs him that the Queen had been often to see her mother left at Palermo, " and told her she ought

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to be proud of her glorious daughter that has done so much in these last suffering months. There is great preparations for our return. The Queen comes out with all Palermo to meet us. A landing-place is made,—balls, suppers, illuminations, all ready. The Queen has prepared my cloathes—in short, if I have fag'd, I am more than repaid."

On the 8th of August the Foudroyant brought Nelson and the Hamiltons back to Palermo.

CHAPTER XII

FAREWELL TO ITALY

HPHERE was a Southern light-heartedness 1 about the Sicilian Court which seemed to reck little of days past or days to come, so long as the present was bright with festivals. A kingdom had been lost with many circumstances of disgrace; a kingdom had been regained with many circumstances of horror, bloodshed, and violent punishments; yet so soon as the reign of terror was over, the Court, with a somewhat hysteric joy, turned its whole attention to illuminations and/?/&$•.

Lady Hamilton has already spoken of the preparations made by the Queen to greet the triumphant return from Naples of the King, the Admiral, and herself—for Sir William is somewhat overshadowed, his slow eclipse had already begun. Maria Carolina could not lavish enough upon Emma, who had been so invaluable a friend to exiled royalty. She gave her rich and costly dresses to replace those that had been lost; she put round her neck a chain of gold bearing her own miniature set with diamonds in the

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jewelled words " Eterna Gratitudine." And while his wife showered gifts