Lady Augustus had
only hoped that everything would be made as comfortable as possible
for her daughter. I don't know what more could have been done at so
short a notice than to order two carriages, two housemaids, and a
cook.
A word or two must also be said of the old lady who made one of the
party. The Honourable Mrs. Morton was now seventy, but no old lady
ever showed less signs of advanced age. It is not to be understood
from this that she was beautiful;---but that she was very strong.
What might be the colour of her hair, or whether she had any, no
man had known for many years. But she wore so perfect a front that
some people were absolutely deluded. She was very much wrinkled;--
but as there are wrinkles which seem to come from the decay of
those muscles which should uphold the skin, so are there others
which seem to denote that the owner has simply got rid of the
watery weaknesses of juvenility. Mrs. Morton's wrinkles were strong
wrinkles. She was thin, but always carried herself bolt upright,
and would never even lean back in her chair. She had a great idea
of her duty, and hated everybody who differed from her with her
whole heart. She was the daughter of a Viscount, a fact which she
never forgot for a single moment, and which she thought gave her
positive superiority to all women who were not the daughters of
Dukes or Marquises, or of Earls.
Pages:
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85