" A great
deal must depend on appearance. As she and her mother were out on a
lengthened cruise among long-suffering acquaintances, going to the
De Brownes after the Gores, and the Smijthes after the De Brownes,
with as many holes to run to afterwards as a four-year-old fox,--
though with the same probability of finding them stopped,--of
course she had her wardrobe with her. To see her night after night
one would think that it was supplied with all that wealth would
give. But there were deficiencies and there were make-shifts, very
well known to herself and well understood by her maid. She could
generally supply herself with gloves by bets, as to which she had
never any scruple in taking either what she did win or did not, and
in dunning any who might chance to be defaulters. On occasions too,
when not afraid of the bystanders, she would venture on a hat, and
though there was difficulty as to the payment, not being able to
give her number as she did with gloves, so that the tradesmen could
send the article, still she would manage to get the hat,--and the
trimmings. It was said of her that she once offered to lay an
Ulster to a sealskin jacket, but that the young man had coolly said
that a sealskin jacket was beyond a joke and had asked her whether
she was ready to "put down" her Ulster. These were little
difficulties from which she usually knew how to extricate herself
without embarrassment; but she had not expected to have to marshal
her forces against such an enemy as Lord Rufford, or to sit down
for the besieging of such a city this campaign.
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