She  was  the  nursery  maid,  and  she  tells  you  that  Lord  Melbourne
being  fond  of  all  the  three  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  was  bom
before  he  had  ever  seen  Mrs.  Norton,  when  he  called,  it  often  hap-
pened that  the  bell  rang,  and  she  brought  down  the  children  to  the
diawing-ro<»n,  and  by  and  by  the  bell  again  rang,  and  she  carried
them  up  to  the  nursery.  But  on  one  occasion  when  the  bell  had
nmg,  she  saw  Lord  Melbourne  and  Mrs.  Norton  sitting  on  the  sofa,
witii  her  hand  in  Ids ;  and  on  another  occasion  when  the  bell  had
rung,  she  entered  the  drawing-room  and  saw  Lord  Melbourne  kiss
Mrs.  Norton's  cheek.  Gentlemen,  I  have  always  understood  that
when  any  improper  familiarities  are  to  take  place  between  the  sexes,
secresy  and  concealment  are  courted — bars  and  bolts  are  used —
window-shutters  are  closed,  and  bUnds  are  drawn  down.  You  may
remember  an  instance  of  a  youthful  monarch  being  reprimanded
by  a  grave  divine  for  neglecting  such  precautions.     My  learned


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16  SPEECH   FOR

friend  in  his  opening  told  us  something  of  bolted  doors,  but  nothing
of  the  sort  could  he  get  out  from  any  of  the  witnesses  ;  and,  on  the
contrary,  they  would  represent  that  when  any  indelicacy  was  con-
tempkted,  proclamation  was  made,  and  it  was  perpetrated  coram
populo.  How  can  I  possibly  disprove  the  squeeze  and  the  kiss
sworn  to  by  Trinette  "EUiot  ?  No  other  person  was  present  except
the  three  in^emt  children.  But  yarious  others  might  have  intruded
on  those  occasions.  The  scene  of  the  amorous  dalliance  suggested
to  your  imagination  is  the  drawing-room  on  the  first  floor  of  a  small
house,  in  a  pubUc  and  exposed  situation — ^the  door  always  unlocked
and  unbolted — and  yisitors  frx>m  time  to  time  dropping  in.  Tri-
nette  tells  you  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norton  kept  much  company,  and
that  many  visitors  called  at  the  house  besides  Lord  Melbourne.
