Johnson was, that she had a good
understanding and great sensibility, but inclined to be satirical. Her
first husband died insolvent [this is a mistake, see _ante_, i. 95,
n. 3]; her sons were much disgusted with her for her second marriage;
... however, she always retained her affection for them. While they
[Mr. and Mrs. Johnson] resided in Gough Square, her son, the officer,
knocked at the door, and asked the maid if her mistress was at home.
She answered, "Yes, Sir, but she is sick in bed." "Oh," says he, "if
it's so, tell her that her son Jervis called to know how she did;" and
was going away. The maid begged she might run up to tell her mistress,
and, without attending his answer, left him. Mrs. Johnson, enraptured
to hear her son was below, desired the maid to tell him she longed to
embrace him. When the maid descended the gentleman was gone, and poor
Mrs. Johnson was much agitated by the adventure; it was the only time
he ever made an effort to see her. Dr. [Mr.] Johnson did all he could
to console his wife, but told Mrs. Williams: "Her son is uniformly
undutiful; so I conclude, like many other sober men, he might once in
his life be drunk, and in that fit nature got the better of his pride."'
_Johnson's application for the mastership of the Grammar School at
Solihull in Warwickshire_.
(Vol. i, p. 96.)
Johnson, a few weeks after his marriage, applied for the mastership of
Solihull Grammar School, as is shown by the following letter, preserved
in the Pembroke College MSS.
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