University of California • Berkeley Gift of THE HEARST CORPORATION OnmwMo Imt^m »«> .^7j£X- The Visits of Elizabeth NOT ABLE NOVELS THE CARDINAL'S SNUFF-BOX. By Henry Har- lan d. SENATOR NORTH. By Gertrude Atherton. PATIENCE SPARHAWK. By Gertrude Atherton. THE CALIFORNIANS. By Gertrude Atherton. A DAUGHTER OF THE VINE. By Gertrude Atherton. DERELICTS. By W. J. Locke. IDOLS. By W. J. Locke. A STUDY IN SHADOW. By W. J. Locke. THE WHITE DOVE. By W. J. Locke. THE REALIST. By Herbert Flowerdew. A CELIBATE'S WIFE. By Herbert Flowerdew. THEY THAT TOOK THE SWORD. By Nathan- iel Stephenson. THE COLUMN. By Charles Marriott. A YEAR OF LIFE. By W. J. Lilly. SCRUPLES. By Thomas Cobb. SEVERANCE. By Thomas Cobb. THE DISSEMBLERS. By Thomas Cobb. CARPET COURTSHIP. By Thomas Cobb. MR. PASSINGHAM. By Thomas Cobb. THE JUDGMENT OF HELEN. By Thomas Cobb. JOHN LANE : LONDON & NEW YORK The Visits of Elizabeth By ELINOR GLYN % JOHN LANE New York LONDON : DUCKWORTH ^ CO. 1901 Copyright, igoo By William Heinemann Copyright, igoi By John Lane UNIVERSITY PRESS • JOHN WILSON AND SON • CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A. Contents Page Nazeby Hall » 3 300 Eaton Place 22 Heaviland Manor 29 Hazeldene Court 45 Chateau de Croixmare 65 Yacht «*Sauterelle'* 72 Caudebec 87 Hotel Frascati, Havre 97 Chateau de Croixmare 103 Champs Elys^es 124 Chateau de Croixmare 131 Retby 209 Carriston Towers 239 Chevenix Castle 265 Foljambe Place 297 Nazeby Hall The Fisirs of Elizabeth NAZEBYHALL IT was perhaps a fortunate thing for Eliz- abeth that her ancestors went back to the Conquest, and that she numbered at least two Countesses and a Duchess among her relatives. Her father had died some years ago, and, her mother being an invalid, she had lived a good deal abroad. But, at about seventeen, Elizabeth began to pay- visits among her kinsfolk. It was after ar- riving at Nazeby Hall, for a Cricket Week, that she first wrote home. Nazeby Hall, 26th July. Dearest Mamma, — I got here all right, without even a smut on my face, for Agnes tidied me up in the brougham before we ar- rived at the gate. The dust in the train was horrid. It is a nice house. They were at tea when I was ushered in ; it was in the hall 3 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Afternoon — I suppose it was because it was so windy •^^^ outside. There seemed to be a lot of people there ; and they all stopped talking suddenly, and stared at me as if I were a new thing in the Zoo, and then, after a minute, went on with their conversations at the point they had left off. Lady Cecilia pecked my cheek, and gave me two fingers ; and asked me, in a voice right up at the top, how were you. I said you were better, and — you know what you told me to say. She murmured something while she was listening to what a woman with a sweet frock and green eyes was saying at the other end of the table. There was heaps of tea. She waved vaguely for me to sit down, which I did ; but there was a foot- stool near, and it was half dark, so I fell over that, but not very badly, and got safely to my seat. Lady Cecilia — continuing her conversa- tion across the room all the time — poured out a cup of tea, with lumps and lumps of sugar in it, and lots of cream, just what you would give to a child for a treat ! and she handed it to me, but I said, " Oh ! please, 4 NAZEBY HALL Lady Cecilia, I don't take sugar ! " She has Afternoon such bulgy eyes, and she opened them wide ^^ at me, perfectly astonished, and said, " Oh ! then please ring the bell ; I don't believe there is another clean cup." Everybody stopped talking again, and looked at me, and the green-eyed lady giggled — and I rang the bell, and this time didn't fall over anything, and so presently I got some tea. Just as I was enjoying such a nice cake, and watching all the people, quite a decent man came up and sat down behind me. Lady Cecilia had not introduced me to anybody, and he said, " Have you come a long way ? " And I said, " Yes." And he said, " It must have been dusty in the train," and I said it was — and he was beginning to say something more, when the woman with the green eyes said, " Harry, do hand me the cucumber sandwiches," and so he had to get up, and just then Sir Trevor came in, and he was glad to see me. He is a jolly soul, and he said I was eight when he last saw me, and seemed quite sur- prised I had grown any taller since ! Just as though people could stay at eight ! Then 5 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Afternoon he patted my cheek, and said, " You 're a ^^^ beauty, Elizabeth," and Lady CeciHa*s eyes bulged at him a good deal, and she said to me, " Would n't you like to see your room ? " and I said I was n't a bit in a hurry, but she took me off, and here I am ; and I am going to wear my pink silk for dinner, and will finish this by-and-by. 12.30. — Well, I have had dinner, and I found out a good many of their names — they mostly arrived yesterday. The woman with the green eyes is Mrs. de Yorburgh- Smith. I am sure she is 3,pig, The quite decent man, "Harry," is a Marquis — the Marquis of Valmond — because he took Lady Cecilia in to dinner. He is playing in the Nazeby Eleven. There is a woman I like, with stick-out teeth ; her name is Mrs. Vavaseur. She knows you, and she is awfully nice, though so plain, and she never looks either over your head, or all up and down, or talks to you when she is thinking of something else. There are heaps more women, and the eleven men, so we are a party of about twenty-five ; but you will see their names in the paper. 6 NAZEBY HALL Such a bore took me in ! He began Afternoon about the dust again, but I could not ^^ stand that, so I said that every one had already asked me about it. So he said " Oh ! " and went on with his soup. At the other side was another of the Eleven, and he said. Did I like cricket ? And I said. No, I hated always having to field (which was what I did, you know, when I played with the Byrne boys at Biarritz) ; and I asked him if he was a good player, and he said " No," so I said I supposed he always had to field too, then ; and he said. No, that sometimes they allowed him a bat, and so I said I was sure that was n't the same game I played ; and he laughed as if I had said something funny — his name is Lord George Lane — and the other one laughed too, and they both looked idiots, and so I did not say any more about that. But we talked on all the time, and every one else seemed to be having such fun, and they all call each other by pet names, and shorten up all their adjectives (it is adjectives I mean, not THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The adverbs). I am sure you made a mistake Cricket jj^ ^j^^^ yQ^ ^q\^ j^g^ |.|^^|. ^ji well-bred people behave nicely at dinner, and sit up, because they don't a bit; lots of them put their elbows on the table, and nearly all sat anyhow in their chairs. Only Lady Cecilia and Mrs. Vavaseur behaved like you ; but then they are both quite old — over forty. They all talk about things that no stranger could understand, but I dare say I shall pick it up presently. And after dinner, in the drawing-room, Lady Cecilia did introduce me to two girls — the Roose girls — you know. Well, Lady Jane is the best of the two ; Lady Violet is a lump. They both poke their heads, and Jane turns in her toes. They have rather the look in their eyes of people with tight boots. Violet said, " Do you bicycle ? " and I said, " Yes, some- times ; " and she said, with a big gasp : "Jane and I adore it. We have been ten miles since tea with Captain Winchester and Mr. Wertz." I did not think that interesting, but NAZEBY HALL still we talked. They asked me stacks of ^« questions, but did not wait for the answers ^/^.\^,^^ , 1 >r ^xT • 1 A r • .1 MllllOn- much. Mr. Wertz is the African mil- ^y^^ lionaire. He does not play cricket, and, when the men came in afterwards, he crossed over to us, and Jane introduced him to me when he had talked a little. He is quite a sort of gentleman, and is very much at home with every one. He laughed at everything I said. Mrs. Smith (such bosh putting " de Yorburgh " on !) sat on a big sofa with Lord Valmond, and she opened and shut her eyes at him, and Jane Roose says she takes every one's friend away ; and Lord George Lane came up, and we talked, and he was n*t such an idiot as at dinner, and he has nice teeth. All the rest, except the Rooses and me, are married — the women, I mean — except Miss La Touche, but she is just the same, be- cause she sits with the married lot, and they all chat together, and Violet Roose says she is a cat, but I think she looks nice ; she is so pretty, and her hair is done at the right angle, because it is like Agnes does mine, and she has nice scent on ; and 9 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH An I hope it won't rain to-morrow, and good- Afrtcan night, dear Mamnia. — Your affectionate Million- , ^ , ^ aire daughter, Elizabeth. P. 6". — Jane Roose says Miss La Touche will never get married ; she is too smart, and all the married women's men talk to her, and that the best tone is to look rather dowdy ; but I don't believe it, and I would rather be like Miss La Touche. E. Elizabeth received an immediate reply to her letter, and the next one began : Nazeby Hall, 28th July, Dearest Mamma, — I ^w sorry you find I use bad grammar and write incoherently, and you don't quite approve of my style ; but you see it is just because I am in a hurry. I don't speak it ; but if I must stop to think of grammar and that, I should never get on to tell you what I am doing here, so do, dear Mamma, try and bear it bravely. Well, everybody came down to breakfast yester- day in a hat, and every one was late — that 10 NAZEBY HALL Is, every one who came down at all, the rest The Cric, Match had theirs upstairs. Cricket The cricket began, and it was really a bore. We sat in a tent, and all the nice men were fielding (it is always like that), and the married lot sat together, and talked about their clothes, and Lady Doraine read a book. She is pretty too, but has big ears. Her husband is somewhere else, but she does not seem to miss him ; and the Rooses told me her hair used to be black, and that they have not a penny in the world, so I think she must be clever and nice to be able to manage her clothes so well. They are perfectly lovely, and I heard her say her maid makes them. Miss La Touche happened to be next me, so she spoke to me, and said my hat was " too devey for words " (the blue one you got at Caroline's) ; and by-and-by we had lunch, and at lunch Lord Valmond came and sat by me, and so Mrs. Smith did too, and she gushed at me. He seemed rather put out about something — I suppose it was having to field all the time — and she talked to him across me, and she called him II THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The " Harry '' lots of times, and she always f-'rtcket g g things that have another meaning. Match TDi-iiJL iiT but they all do that — repeat each other s Christian names in a sentence, I mean —just like you said that middle-class people did when you were young, so I am sure every- thing must have changed now. Well, after lunch, all the people in the county seemed to come ; some of them had driven endless miles, and we sat apart, I suppose to let them see how ordinary we thought them ; and Lady Cecilia was hardly polite, and the others were more or less rude ; but presently something happened — I don't know what — and the nice men had not to field any more. Perhaps they could not stand it any longer, and so every one who had been yawning woke up, and Mr. Wertz, who had been writing letters all this time, appeared, and Lady Doraine made room for him beside her, and they talked ; and when our Eleven had drunk something they came and lay on the grass near us, and we had such a nice time. There is a beautiful man here, and his name Is Sir Dennis Desmond, and his grandfather was an Irish King, and 12 NAZEBY HALL he talks to me all the time, and his mother Sir looks at him and frowns ; and I think it ^^^^" r 1 1 , ^ A 1 -r T Desmond Silly or her, don t you : And ir 1 were a man I would n't visit with my mother if she frowned at me. Do you know her ? She dresses as if she were as young as I am. She had a blue muslin on this morning, and her hair is red with green stripes in it, and she is all white with thick pink cheeks, and across the room she does n*t look at all bad ; but close ! Goodness gracious she looks a hundred ! And I would much sooner have nice white hair and a cap than look like that, would n't you ? I '11 finish this when I come to bed. 12.30. — What do you think has hap- pened? Sir Dennis sat beside me on the sofa just as he did last night — but I forget, I have not yet told you of yesterday and last night ; but never mind now, I must get on. Well, he said I was a perfect darling, but that he never could get a chance to say a word to me alone, but that if I would only drop my glove outside my door it would be all right ; and I thought that such a ridiculous thing to say, that I could n't help laughing, 13 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Sir and Lady Cecilia happened to be passing, Dennis ^^^ g^ gj^^ asked me what I was laughing at, and so I told her what he had said, and asked why ? There happened to be a pause just then and, as one has to speak rather loud to Lady Cecilia to attract her atten- tion, every one heard, and they all looked flabergasted ; and then all shrieked with laughter, and Sir Dennis said so crossly, *' Little fool ! " and Lady Desmond simply glared at me, and Lady Cecilia said, " Really, Elizabeth ! " and Sir Dennis got purple in the face, and Jane Roose whispered, " H ow could you dare with his wife listening ! ** and every one talked and chaffed. It was too stupid about nothing ; but the as- tonishing part is, that funny old thing I thought was the mother turns out to be his wife! Imagine ! years and years older than him ! Jane Roose said he had to marry her be- cause her husband died ; but I think that the most absurd reason I ever heard, don't you ? Lots of people's husbands die, and they don't have to get married off again at once — so why should that ugly old thing, H NAZEBY HALL specially when there are such heaps of nice A Man of girls about? ^^'^^«'' Jane Roose said it was so honourable of him, but I call it crazy — unless, perhaps, he was a great friend of the husband's, who made him promise when he was dying, and he did not like to break his word. How he must have hated it ! I wonder if he had ever met her before, or if the husband made him take her, a pig in a poke. I expect that was it, because he never could have done it if he had ever seen her. I can't think why he is so cross with me, but I am sorry, as he is such a nice man. Now I am sleepy, and it is fright- fully late, so I suppose I had better get into bed. Agnes came up, and has been fussing about for the last hour. Best love from your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. >5 tn the Corridor THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Nazeby Hall, joth July, Ghosts Dearest Mamma, — Yesterday was the best day we have had yet; the nice men had not to field at all, and the stupid cricket was over at four o'clock, and so we went into the gardens and lay in hammocks, and Miss La Touche had such nice shoes on, but her ankles are thick. The Rooses told me it was n*t " quite nice" for girls to loll in hammocks (and they sat on chairs) — that you could only do it when you are mar- ried ; but I believe it is because they don't have pretty enough petticoats. Anyway, Lady Doraine and that horrid Smith crea- ture made a place for me in the empty hammock between them, and, as I knew my " frillies " were all right, I hammocked too, and it was lovely. Lord Valmond and Mr. Wertz were lying near, and they said agreeable things, at least I suppose so, be- cause both of them — Lady Doraine and Mrs. Smith — looked purry-purry-puss-puss. They asked me why I was so sleepy, and I said because I had not slept well the i6 NAZEBY HALL last night — that I was sure the house was Ghosts in the Corridor haunted. And so they all screamed at me, ^" " Why ? " and so I told them, what was really true, that in the night I heard a noise of stealthy footsteps, and as I was not frightened I determined to see what it was, so I got up — Agnes sleeps in the dressing-room, but, of course, she never wakes — I opened the door and peeped out into the corridor. There are only two rooms beyond mine towards the end, round the corner, and it is dimly lit all night. Well, I distinctly saw a very tall grey figure disappear round the bend of the hall ! When I got thus far every one dropped their books and listened with rapt attention, and I could see them exchanging looks, so I am sure they know it is haunted, and were trying to keep it from me. I asked Mrs. Smith if she had seen or heard anything, because she sleeps in one of the rooms. She looked perfectly green, but she said she had not heard a sound, and had slept like a top, and that I must have dreamt it. Then Lady Doraine and every one talked at once, and Lord Valmond asked did any 2 17 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Ghosts one know if the London evening papers tn the j^^j come. But I was not going to be put oiF like that, so I just said, " I know you all know it is haunted and are putting me off because you think I '11 be frightened ; but I assure you I am not, and if I hear the noise again I am going to rush out and see the ghost close/' Then every one looked simply ahuri. So I mean to get the ghost story out of Sir Trevor to-night after dinner — I had not a chance yesterday — as I am sure it is interesting. Mrs. Smith looked at me as if she wanted to poison me, and I can't think why specially, can you ? Twelve p.m. — I asked Sir Trevor if the house is haunted, and he said, " God bless my soul, no ! " and so I told him, and he nearly had a fit ; so I know it is, but I am not a bit frightened. — Your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. i8 NAZEBY HALL Nazeby Hall, Sunday, Dearest Mamma, — Agnes and I go to J Kiss Aunt Mary*s by the 10.30 train to-mor- ^"^ ^ row, and I am not a bit sorry, although I °^ have enjoyed myself, and now I begin to feel quite at home with every one — at least, some of them ; but such a tiresome thing happened last night. It was like this : After dinner it was so hot that we all went out on the terrace, and, as soon as we got there, Mrs. Smith and Lady Doraine and the rest said it was too cold, and went in again ; but the moon was pretty, so I stayed alone, and presently Lord Valmond came out, and stood beside me. There is such a nice view, you remember, from there, and I did n*t a bit want to talk. He said something, but I was n*t listen- ing, when suddenly I did hear him say this : " You adorable enfant terrible^ come out and watch for ghosts to-night; and I will come and play the ghost, and console you if you are frightened ! " And he put his horrid arm right round my waist, and kissed 19 Blow THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH J Kiss me — somewhere about my right ear — be- ^^f ^ fore I could realise what he was at ! I was in a rage, as you can fancy. Mamma, so I just turned round and gave him the hardest slap I could, right on the cheek ! He was furious, and called me a " little devil," and we both walked straight into the drawing-room. I suppose I looked savage, and in the light I could see he had great red finger marks on his face. Anyway, Mrs. Smith, who was sitting on the big sofa near the window alone, looked up, and said in an odious voice, that made every one listen, " I am afraid, Harry, you have not en- joyed cooing in the moonlight ; it looks as if our sweet Elizabeth had been difficult, and had boxed your ears ! " That made me wild, the impudence ! That parvenue calling me by my Christian name ! So I just lost my temper right out, and said to her, "It is perfectly true what you say, and I will box yours if you call me ' Elizabeth * again ! " tableau ! She almost fainted with aston- ishment and fury, and when she could get 20 NAZEBY HALL her voice decent enough to speak, she Lord Valm in Dis- laughed and said— ' " ^^^^^«^ "What a charming savage! How in- ^^^^^ genuous ! " And then Lady Cecilia did a really nice thing, which shows that she is a brick, in spite of having bulgy eyes, and being ab- sent and tiresome. She came up to me as if nothing had happened, and said, "Come, Elizabeth, they are waiting for you to begin a round game," and she put her arm through mine and drew me into the billiard-room, and on the way she squeezed my arm, and said, in a voice quite low down for her, " She deserved it," and I was so touched I nearly cried. From where I sat at the card-table I could see Mrs. Smith and Lord Valmond, and they were quarrelling. She looked like green rhubarb juice, and he had the ex- pression of " Damn ! " all over him. Of course I did not say good-night to him, and I hope I shall never see him again. — Your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. 21 I Season THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH 300 Eaton Place, Tuesday^ 2nd August. London D BAREST Mamma, — The train from Tl£! Nazeby was so late and Aunt Mary seemed to think it was my fault — so un- reasonable of her, just because they had waited lunch for me. I don*t believe I like visiting very near relations as much as ones further off. They feel they can say anything to you. I am glad I have only got to sleep here the one night. I had not eaten my omelette before Aunt Mary began about my hair. She said of course it was very nice curling like that, but it was a pity 1 did not wear a net over it all to keep it more tidy. She was sure you spoilt me, even though we are rich, letting me have such smart clothes. She had heard from Nazeby, that I had had on a fresh frock every day. I don't know who could have written to her. She has got to look much older in the two years we have been abroad and the corners of her mouth shut with a snap. Perhaps it is having to spend part of the year with her mother-in-law. 22 EATON PLACE Lettice and Clara are just the same as Cousinly they were, not a bit of difference since ^^^^°^^^y they came out. They are as tidy as can be, not a hair escapes from their nets ! and their heads look as ' if they had dozens of hairpins in them, and because it is out of the season they have gone back to their country high linen collars, and they look as if they were choking. I hate linen collars, don't you. Mamma ? Two Ethridge aunts are staying here be- sides me, and we all have to sit together in the morning-room, as everything is covered up in the drawing-rooms, ready for being shut up next week, when they go to Scot- land. After lunch the girls did nothing but question me about what we had done at Nazeby. They said Lady Cecilia only asks them to the dullest parties. They knew every one's name, they had carefully read them in the Morning Post, They wanted especially to know about Lord Val- mond because Lettice had danced with him once this season. They thought him awfully good-looking. I said he was an odious young man and very rude. So Lettice said 23 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Cousinly she supposed he had not spoken to me, as Curiosity j^^ ^^^^^ speaks to girls. I told them that was quite a mistake as he had spoken to me all the time, but I hated him. And do you know. Mamma, they looked as if they did not believe a word I was saying ; which was not very polite I think. When we got upstairs they wanted to see all my clothes, but fortunately Agnes had only taken out one or two things, and they asked me to let their maid take patterns of everything. Of course I could not refuse, but I hate my things being mauled over by strange females, and Agnes was simply furi- ous. I am sure she will scratch the maid when she comes to ask for a frock. They tried on my hats all at the wrong angle, first Clara, then Lettice, and made faces and gave little screams at themselves in the glass, and no wonder, for they looked per- fect guys in them, with their tight " tongy " hair. Then they tossed them on to the bed as they finished with them, and Agnes kept muttering to herself like distant thun- der. Finally Lettice danced a pas seul with the white rose toque perched on the back 24 EATON PLACE of her head, and she made such kicks and On the iumps that it lurched off, and landed in ^^^^^^ the water jug ! At that Agnes got beside herself. " Fi ! done. Mademoiselle ! " she screamed, " *ca c'est trop fort ! " The hat is quite spoilt, so please write and order me another one from Caroline's, like a nice, sweet, pretty, darling Mamma. At tea they were all so interested when I told them I was going to stay in France with the de Croixmares. One of the Ethridge aunts (Rowena) pricked up her ears at once, and asked me if Madame de Croixmare was not my godmother, and had she not been a great friend of poor papa's. So I told her yes, and that I was going there for three weeks. She and Aunt Mary exchanged looks, I don't know why, but it irritated me. Mamma, and I rather snapped at Aunt Mary when she began about my hair again. And presently I heard her saying to the other aunt that it was a pity girls nowadays were allowed to be impertinent to their elders. Of course there was not a thing to do, every one having left Town, so in the even- ts THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH On the ing Uncle Geoffrey took us to the Exhibi- ^^^^^ tion to go down in the Water Shoot. That is lovely. Mamma, only I had to sit beside Lettice, because Clara was frightened and would be with her father. A horrid man behind, who, I suppose, was not holding on, flopped right on to us at the bump in the water, and then said, " Beg pardon, dears," and it made Uncle Geoffrey so cross he would not let us go down any more, and we had to go home and to bed. I am just scribbling this before breakfast. We go on to Great-aunt Maria's by the eleven train. I am glad Cousin Octavia is going to take me out next season instead of Aunt Mary, which was first suggested. I know I should not have been good with her. She is not a bit like you, darling Mamma. I hope you are better ; I shan't see you again until next Saturday, when I leave Heaviland Manor. It is a long time. — With love from your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. 26 Heaviland Manor HEAVILAND MANOR Heaviland Manor, Wednesday^ August jrd, DEAREST MAMMA, — I can't ^^«/V/ think why you made me come here ! ^'^^^^^S Agnes has been so sniffy and con- descending ever since this morning; but I have remarked that Uncle John's valet is only about forty and has a roving eye ! so perhaps by to-morrow morning I shan't have my hair screwed off my head ! But I feel for Agnes, only in a different way. It is a stuffy, boring place. You remem- ber the house — enormous, tidy, hideous, uncomfortable. Well, we had such a dinner last night after I arrived — soup, fish, every- thing popped on to the table for Great-uncle John to carve at one end, and Great-aunt Maria at the other! A regular aquarium specimen of turbot sat on its dish opposite him, while Aunt Maria had a huge lot of 29 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A ^iet soles. And there was n*t any need, because Evening ^^^^ ^^x^ four men-servants in the room who could easily have done it at the side ; but I remember you said it was always like that when you were a little girl. Well, it got on to puddings. I forgot to tell you, though, there were plenty of candles on the table, without shades, and a " bouquet " of flowers, all sorts (I am sure fixed in sand), in a gold middle thing. Well, about the puddings — at least four of them were planted on the table, awfully sweet and jammy, and Uncle John was quite irritated with me be- cause I could only eat two ; and Aunt Maria, who has got as deaf as a post, kept roaring to old Major Orwell, who sat next her, " Children have no healthy appetites as in our day. Eh ! what ? " And I wanted to scream in reply, " But I am grown up now. Aunt Maria ! " Uncle John asked me every question over and over, and old Lady Farrington*s false teeth jumped so once or twice that I got quite nervous. That is the party, me. Major Orwell, Lady Farrington, and Uncle and Aunt. 30 HEAVILAND MANOR When dessert was about coming, every- A ^iet thing got lifted from the table, and before ^'^^^^^S you could say " Jack Robinson " off whisked the cloth. I was so unprepared for it that I said " Oh ! *' and ducked my head, and that made the cloth catch on old Lady Farrington*s cap — she had to sit on my side of the table, to be out of the draught — and, wasn't it dreadful^ it almost pulled it off, and with it the grey curls fixed at the side, and the rest was all bald. So that was why it was so loose — there was nothing to pin it to ! And she glared at me, and fixed it as straight as she could, but it had such a saucy look all the rest of the evening. I did apologise as well as I could, and there was such an awkward pause ; and after dinner we had coffee in the drawing-room, and then in a little time tea, and between times they sat down to whist, all but Aunt Maria — so they had to have a dummy. She wanted to hear all about you, she said, and my going to visit in France ; and so I had to bellow descriptions of your neuralgia, and about Mme. de Croixmare being my godmother, &c., and Aunt Maria says, 31 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH J ^iet "Tut, tut!" as well as "Eh! what?'* to Evening everything. I had not remembered a bit what they were like ; but I was only six, was n*t I, when we came last ? After she had asked every sort of thing about you under the sun, she kept giving longing glances at the dummy's cards ; so I said, " Oh ! Aunt Maria, I am afraid I am keeping you from your whist." As soon as I could make her hear, you should have seen how she hopped up like a two- year old into the vacant seat ; and they were far more serious about it than any one was at Nazeby, where they had hundreds on, and Aunt Maria and the others only played for counters — that long mother- o*-pearl fish kind. I looked at a book on the table. Lady Blessington's " Book of Beauty," and I see then every one got born with champagne- bottle shoulders. Had they been paring them for generations before, I wonder ? Be- cause old John, the keeper at Hendon, told me once that the best fox-terriers arrive now without any tails, their mothers' and grand- mothers' and great-grandmothers' having been cut off for so long ; but I wonder, if 32 HEAVILAND MANOR the fashion changed, how could they get ^n Old long tails again ? There must be some way, ^i"^^ because all of us now have square shoulders. But what was I saying ? Oh ! yes, when I had finished the " Beauty Book," I heard Aunt Maria getting so cross with the old boy opposite her. " You Ve revoked. Major Orwell," she said, whatever that means. Then hot spiced port came in — it was such a close night — and they all had some, and so did I, and it was good ; and then candles came. Suck lovely silver, and so beautifully cleaned; and Aunt and Uncle kissed me. I dodged Lady Farrington's false teeth, because, after her cap incident, she might have bitten me. And Uncle said, " Too late, too late for a little one to sit up — no beauty sleep ! " And Aunt Maria said, " Tut, tut ! " and I thought it must be the middle of the night — it felt like it. But do you know. Mamma, when I got upstairs to my room it was only half-past ten I I have such a huge room, with a four- post feather bed in it. I had let Agnes go to bed directly after her supper, with a 3 33 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH An Old toothache, so I had to get undressed by English jnyseJf ; and I was afraid to climb in from the side, it was so high up. But I found some steps with blue carpet on them, as well as a table with a Bible, and a funny old china medicine spoon, and glass and water-jug on it ; and the steps did nicely, for when I got to the top, I just took a header into the feathers. It seemed quite comfy at first, but in a few minutes, good- ness gracious, I was suffocated ! And it was such a business getting the whole mass on the floor ; and then I did not know very well how to make the bed again, and I had not a very good night, and over- slept myself in the morning. So I got down late for prayers. Uncle John reads them, and Aunt Maria repeats responses whenever she thinks best, as she can*t hear a word ; but I suppose she counts up, and, from long habit, just says " Amen " when she gets to the end of — thirty, say — fancy- ing that will be right ; and it is generally. Only Uncle John stopped in the middle to say, " Damn that dog ! " as Fido was whining and scratching outside, so that put 34 HEAVILAND MANOR her out and brought in the " Amen " too Family soon. P^'^y''' After breakfast Aunt Maria jingled a large bunch of keys and said it was her day for seeing the linen-room, and would n*t I like to go with her, as all young people should have " house-wifely " ideas ? So I went. It is so beautifully kept, and such lovely linen, all with lavender between it ; and she talked to the housekeeper, and looked over everything — she seemed to know each sheet by name! Then we went to the storeroom, all as neat as a new pin ; and from there to interview all the old people from the village, who were waiting with requests, and some of them were as deaf as she is. So the housekeeper had to scream at both sides, and I was tired when we got back, and did want to rush out of doors ; but I had to wait, and then walk between Lady Farrington and Aunt Maria up and down the path in the sun till lunch at one o'clock ; and after that we went for a drive in the barouche, with the fattest white horses you ever saw, and a coachman just like Cinderella's one that had been a rat. 35 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Family He seemed to have odd bits of fur on his Prayers ^^^^ ^^^ under his chin, and Aunt Maria said that he suffered from a sore throat, that was why, which he caught at Aunt Mary's wedding; and so I counted up — and as Aunt Mary is your eldest sister, it must have been more than twenty years ago. I do call that a long sore throat, don't you ? and I would n't keep a coachman with a beard, would you ? We went at a snail's pace, and got in at four o'clock, and then there was tea at half- past, with the nicest bread-and-butter you ever tasted. And after that I said I must write to you, and so here I am, and I feel that if it goes on much longer I shall do something dreadful. Now good-bye, dearest Mamma. — Your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. 36 HEAVILAND MANOR Heaviland Manor, Friday^ August ^th. Dearest Mamma, — I am glad to-morrow LordVal- will soon be here, and that I can come home, ^ondRe- but I must tell you about yesterday. First, ^rP^^^^ all the morning it rained, and what with roaring at Aunt Maria and holding skeins of wool for Lady Farrington, I got such jumps that I felt I should scream unless I got out ; so after lunch, while they were both having a nap in their chairs, I slipped off for a walk by myself — it was still raining, but not much ; I took Fido, who is generally a little beast, and far too fat. We had had a nice scamper, and had turned to come back not far from the Park, when who do you think came riding up? — Lord Valmond ! The last person one expected to see down here ! He never waited a second when he saw me, but jumped off his horse and beamed — just as if we had parted the best of friends ! ! ! Bid you ever hear such impudence ? Of course I should have walked on without recognising him, if I had been left to myself, but he took me so by sur- 37 THEVISITS OF ELIZABETH Lord F L- 1 1 tores Nap pahngs there and then ! 1 can t thmk how he was n't killed. There was almost no take-ofF, and the fence is so high. How- ever, there he was, and I could not get away again, because, if I had run, the horse could easily have kept up with me. But I only said " Yes " and " No " all the way to the house, so he could not have enjoyed it much. We went straight to the drawing- room, where tea was almost up, and there was Lady Farrington alone — still asleep, and her cap had fallen right back, and all the bald was showing ; and just then a car- riage drove up to the door, and we heard visitors and the footsteps in the hall. I had just time to cry to Lord Valmond, "Keep them back while I wake her ! " and then I rushed to Lady Farrington, and shouted in her ear, " Visitors ! and — and — your cap is a little crooked!" "Eh! what?" she screamed, and her teeth as nearly as pos- sible jumped on to the carpet. She simply flew to the mirror, but, as you know, it is away so high up she couldn't see, so she 39 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Lady made frantic efforts with her hands, and just r^'xf" got it to cover the bald, in a rakish, one- sided way, when the whole lot streamed into the room. Lord Valmond looked awfully uncomfortable. Goodness knows what he had said to them to keep them back ! Anyway, Harvey announced " Mrs. and the Misses Clarke,'' and a thin, very high-nosed person, followed by two huffish girls, came forward. Lady Farrington said, " How d' ye do ? '' as well as she could. They were some friends of hers and Aunt Maria's, who are staying with the Morverns, I gathered from their conversation. They must have thought she had been on a spree since last they met ! I could hardly behave for laughing, and did not dare to look at Lord Valmond. They had not been there more than fiVQ minutes when another carriage arrived, and two other ladies were announced. "The Misses Clark ! " The other Clarkes glared like tigers, and Lady Farrington lowered her chin and eyelashes at them (she has just the same manners as the people at Nazeby, although she is such a frump — it is be- 40 HEAVILAND MANOR cause she is an earl's daughter, I suppose), ^n and she called out to Harvey at the top ^^^''''''" of her voice, " Let Lady Worden be told at once there are visitors." The poor new things looked so uncomfortable, that I felt, as I was Aunt Maria's niece, I at least must be polite to them ; so I asked them to sit down, and we talked. They were jolly, fat, vulgar souls, who have taken the Or- tons* place they told me, and this was their return visit, as the Ortons had asked Aunt Maria to call. They were quite old maids, past thirty, with such funny, grand, best smart Sunday-go-to-meeting looking clothes on. It appears that Harvey had sent a foot- man up to Aunt Maria's door, to tell of the first Clarkes' arrival, and then, terrified by Lady Farrington's voice, had rushed up himself to announce the second lot, and he met Aunt Maria on the stairs coming down, and of course she never heard the differ- ence between " Mrs." and the " Misses," and thought he was simply hurrying her up for the first set. So in she sailed all smiles, and as Mrs. Clarke was nearest the door, 41 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH An she got to her first, and was so glad to see Afternoon j^^j.^ " Dear, dear, years since we met, Hon- oria," she said ; " and these are all your bonny girls, tut, tut ! " and she looked at the fat Clarks who came next. " Ah ! yes^ I can see ! What a wonderful likeness to poor dear Arthur ! " Furious glances from Mrs. Clarke, whose daughters are my age ! " And this must be Millicent,'* she went on, taking the second fat Clark's hand. " Yes, yes ; why, she takes after you, my dear Honoria, tut, tut ! " and she squeezed hands, and beamed at them all in the kindest way. Mrs. Clarke, bursting with fury, tried to say they were no relations of hers ; but, of course. Aunt Maria could not catch all that, only the word " rela- tions," and she then caught sight of the buff Clarklets in the background. " Ah, yes ! I see, these are your girls ; I have mistaken your other relations for them." Then she turned again to the fat Clarks, evidently liking their jolly faces best. " But one can see they are Clarkes. 42 HEAVILAND MANOR Let me guess. Yes, they must be poor A Henry's children ! " At this. Lord Val- ^jl^^^Ln mond had such a violent fit of choking by the tea-table, that Aunt Maria, who hears the oddest, most unexpected things, caught that, and saw him, and saying, " How d' ye do? " created a diversion. Pre- sently I heard Lady Farrington roaring in a whisper into her ears the difference be- tween the Clarkes and the Clarks, and the poor dear was so upset ; but her kind heart came up trumps, and she was awfully nice to the two vulgar Clarks, who had the good sense to go soon, and then the others went. Then she got Lord Valmond on to her sofa, and he screamed such heaps of nice things into her ear, just as if she had been Mrs. Smith, and she was so pleased. And Uncle John came in, and they talked about the pheasants, and he asked Lord Valmond to dinner on Satur- day night (to-morrow), and he looked timidly at me, to see if I was still angry with him and wanted him not to come, so I smiled sweetly^ and he accepted joyfully. Is n't it lovely. Mamma ? I shall be home 43 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A with you by then, and Lady Farrington Friendly ^^^ j^j^j^j. Qrwell are going too ! So he will have to play dummy whist all the evening with Uncle and Aunt, and eat his dinner at half-past six ! Now, good-night. — Your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth, 44 HAZELDENE COURT Hazeldene Court, Tuesday^ ^th August, Dearest Mamma, — There is a huge jf,g party here for the Horse Show, and I Horse daresay I shall enjoy myself. We had no ^"^"^ sooner got into the station at Paddington than in the distance I caught sight of Lord Valmond. I pretended not to see him, and got behind a barrow of trunks, and then slipped into the carriage and made Agnes sit by the door. We saw him walking up and down, and, just before the train started, he came and got into our carriage. He seemed awfully surprised to see me, said he had not an idea he should meet me, and apologised for disturbing me, but he said all the other carriages were full. He seemed so uppish and unconcerned that I felt obliged to ask him how he enjoyed his dinner with Aunt Maria on Saturday. He said he had enjoyed it awfully, and that Aunt Maria was a charming hostess. He asked me if I was going far down the line, or only just on the river. I said not very far. I tried to be as stiff as possible 45 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Lord and not speak, and I did not tell him Valmond ^\^^^^ \ ^^s going, but, do you know. Mamma, there is no snubbing him. He said at once that he was going to Hazel- dene Court, to stay with his cousins the Westaways. I said, "Indeed!" and he said, " Yes, are n't they cousins of yours too ? " and when I said " Yes," he said he felt sure we were related, and might n't he call me Elizabeth ! ! ! I just told him I thought him the rudest, most detestable man I had ever met; and if he spoke to me again at all, I should ask the guard to find me another carriage. He was awfully surprised, and said he had not meant to be the least rude ; he thought it was the custom for cousins to call each other by their Christian names, and his name was Harry. (Just as if I did not know that, after hearing Mrs. Smith calling him every few minutes !) I said in a freezing tone we were not related in any way, and I wished to read the paper, upon which he produced every imaginable kind, lots of ladies' papers that he could not possibly have 46 HAZELDENE COURT wanted for himself. I don't know who The he expected to meet. However, I would ^^^^^^S not have any of them, but looked at a Punch I had bought myself. You know that uncomfortable feeling one has when some one is staring at one — it makes one obliged to look up — so after a while our eyes met over the Punchy and he smiled, and his teeth are so white. All he said was, " I was thinking of the Clarkes and Clarks." And in spite of my being indig- nant with him I could not help laughing, when I remembered about them, and then it was hard to be very stiff again at once. Just about this time Agnes went to sleep in the other corner, and the moment Lord Valmond saw she was really off, he bent for- ward and said in such a humble voice, that he was sorry he had offended me at Nazeby ; he had yielded to a sudden temptation, and he could only ask me to forgive him. He had quite mistaken my character he said, he now saw I was a serious person, but he had been deceived by the dimple in my left cheek. (Now is n't it provoking. Mamma, to have a dimple like that, that gives 47 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The people the impression they may treat you ^^'^^^'^^ with want of respect?) I said I did not believe a word of it, and> as we were only the merest acquaintances, it did not matter whether I forgave him or not, and I hoped he would not mention the subject again. He then asked me if I was going to stop at Hazeldene until Saturday. So you see. Mamma, he must have known I was going there all along ; are n't men odd ? You can't trust them one minute not to be de- ceiving you, only I think on the whole I prefer them to women, they can't copy your clothes at all events. After that he seemed to think we had quite made everything up, and went on talking in the friendliest way, but I would not thaw ; he shall not have the chance of blaming my dimple again for any of his rhisconduct ! At last I said I hated talking in the train, and pre- tended to go to sleep. But I could not get really off, because every time I opened my eyes just to see where we were, I found him looking at me. A huge omni- bus was waiting for us when we arrived, and several more guests had come by the 48 HAZELDENE COURT same train and we all drove to the house ^w together. They were having; tea on the ^/^^'^^'^^ 1 T J XX7 J Woman croquet lawn — Lady Westaway and some other people, and the eldest son's wife. You remember what a fuss there was when he married, how Lady Westaway had hys- terics for three days. Well, she looks as if she could have them again any moment. Mrs. Westaway is awfully pretty. She was lying in a swing chair, showing lots of petticoat and ankle. The ankle is n't bad, but the petticoat had common lace on it. She has huge turquoise earrings, and very stick-out hair arranged to look untidy with tongs. She smiles all the time, and wears lots of different colours. She calls every one by their Christian names, and always catches hold of the men's coats, or fixes their buttonholes or ties, or holds their arms and whispers : and every one is in love with her, and she has the greatest success. So I can't think. Mamma, why you have always told me never to do any of these things, when you want me to be a success so much. Her voice is dreadfully shrill, and such an odd pronunciation, but no one 4 49 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Jn seems to mind that. I rather like her, she Attractive : JVoman IS SO jolly but some of the women of the party won't speak to her, except to say disagreeable things. Jane Roose is here, she has been here since she left Nazeby (Violet is at the sea), and she came up to my room as we were going to dress, and I have only just got rid of her. She told me Mrs. Westaway was a " dreadful crea- ture," and that no one would know her, if it was not for her mother-in-law receiving her, so they can't help it. And she could not understand what the men saw to ad- mire in a low person like that. But I can see very well. Mamma, she is as pretty as can be, and probably the men don't notice about the lace being common, and all the colours, and those things. I must go down to dinner now, so good-bye, dear Mamma. — Your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. 50 HAZELDENE COURT Hazeldene Court, Thursday^ iith August, Dearest Mamma, — I shall be home with Lady you almost as soon as you get this. But ^. ^ ^ I must tell you about these last two days. ^/^^^ The man I went in to dinner with the first night was so nice-looking, only he did not seem as if he could collect his thoughts enough to finish his sentences, and it left them sounding so silly sometimes, but I found out before we had begun the entrees that it was because Mrs. Westaway was sitting opposite, and he was gazing at her. She looked lovely, but not like any one I have seen yet since I stayed out. She had a diamond collar and two ropes of pearls (Jane Roose said they were imitation), and her arms quite bare and very white, but her skin must come off, because I could see a patch of white on a footman's coat where she accidentally touched when helping her- self to potatoes. She had a huge tulle bow in her hair, and her earrings were as big as shillings. Lady Bobby Pomeroy said after- wards in the drawing-room to Jane Roose 51 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Lady that she should not take any more of her ^. y ^ meals downstairs with this creature ; and JDl'UCT— ^Iq^^ she would not have come only that Bobby insisted, as he was showing some horses, and it is convenient. And so, do you know. Mamma, Lady Bobby has never come out of her room since, except just to go to the Horse Show, which she drove to with Mrs. Mannering in a hired fly. I don't call it very polite to the hostess, do you ? This afternoon she amused herself from her bed- room window by shooting at rabbits just beyond the wire fence of the lawn with a rook rifle ; she did not hit any rabbits, but she got a gardener in the leg, and the man was very angry, and bled a great deal, and had to be taken away, and I think it was very careless of her, don't you ? Lord Valmond was on his way to the window seat where Jane Roose and I were sitting the first night after dinner, but Mrs. Westaway caught hold of her hus- band's coat-tails as he passed and said quite loud, " Duckie, you must bring Lord Valmond and introduce him to me, we haven't met yet, and I want to know all 52 HAZELDENE COURT your friends." So Billy Westaway, who Two is is as obedient as a spaniel, secured Lord ^°^P^^y Valmond, and presently we saw them comfortably tucked into a small settee together, and there they stayed all the evening. She kept licking her lips as if he was something good to eat, and the next morning she fixed a rose in his button- hole at breakfast and called him " Cousin Val,'' and by lunch time it was plain '' Val," and now it is " Harry." I do call it bad taste, don't you. Mamma ? and she is n*t half so pretty in broad daylight, and I don't like her at all now. Only I can't help laughing at Lady Westaway's face when " Phyllis " (that is Mrs. Westaway's name) says anything especially vulgar ; Lady Westaways shudders, and takes a huge sniflF at her smelling salts. She keeps them always with her in a long gold-topped bottle, and she has to use them almost every few minutes when Mrs. Westaway is in the room. The Horse Show was rather nice ; it is held in the park fairly close, and most of us strolled there in the morning before lunch to see the judging. Lord Valmond joined 53 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Two is us, I was walking with Lord George Lane Company (jQ^i remember he was one of the Eleven at Nazeby). I was in a very good temper. Mamma, and we had been laughing at every- thing we said. He is quite a nice idiot, but, when Lord Valmond came, of course I talked as stiffly as possibly, and presently Lord George told him that he was singularly backward in copybook maxims, and that there was one he ought to write out and commit to memory, and it began with " Two 's Company," upon which Lord Val- mond stalked on in a rage. The seats at the show were very hard boards, and the sun made one awfully drowsy ; but about half-an-hour before lunch Lord Valmond came up again, and asked me if I should not like to go for a turn. I thought I had better, so as not to get cramp. He said he had been afraid he would never get the chance of speaking to me, I was always so surrounded. I told him I had only come now because of the cramp. I am quite determined. Mamma, not to unbend to him at all. I was not once agreeable, or any- 54 HAZELDENE COURT thing but stiff and snubbing, and I am sure On the he has never been treated like that before, ^^^' but it is awfully hard work keeping it up all the time, and when we got in to lunch I was quite tired. There were numbers of people at the show in the afternoon, and all in their best clothes. Lady Grace Fenton was showing two of her hunters, and she kept shouting to the grooms, and I did not think it was very attractive behaviour. She takes such strides you would think her muslin dress would split. I don't know why it is that so many people in the coun- try are ugly and weather-beaten, and all their clothes hanging wrong. Except the house party here, and a few from other big places, there was not a pretty person to be seen. We had a special reserved tent for tea, and Mrs. Westaway seemed to have every man in the place round her, and I heard one man come up and say, " Well, Phyllis, this is a joke to find you in this respectable hole ; how do you like solid matrimony, old girl ? " and I do think that sounded familiar and rude, don't you, 55 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH On the Mamma ? but Mrs. Westaway was n't a ^^^^ bit angry. She calls Billy " Duckie/' and continually pats and caresses him ; he does look such a fool, and I should hate to be fingered like that if I were a man, one must feel like a bunch of grapes with the bloom being rubbed off. Mrs. West- away kept Lord Valmond with her all the rest of the time at the show, and then took him on the lake while we played croquet. Lady Bobby went straight to her room and sat by the window, and every now and then shouted advice to Lord George who was playing with me. When we had finished. Lady Westaway took me to see the con- servatories, and there we were joined by old Colonel Blake and Lord Valmond, I don't know how he had torn himself away from Mrs. Westaway ! Jane Roose says Mrs. Smith would be mad if she was here. He asked me why I had walked on ahead so fast on the way back from the Show as he wanted me to go on the lake with him instead of Mrs. Westaway. When he had suggested going on it he had looked at me, but I would take no notice, 56 HAZELDENE COURT and so he was obliged to go with Mrs. P^ul and Westaway when she offered to come, and ^^^i^^*^ I was very unkind and disagreeable. I just said if he found me so, he need not speak to me at all, I did not care. We looked at one another like two wild cats for a moment. I am sure he wanted to slap me, and I should like to have scratched him, and then Lady Westaway diverted the con- versation by asking me if I thought I should enjoy my French visit (how every one knows one's affairs !). I said I hoped I should, and I was starting next week. Lord Val- mond at once pricked up his ears, and said he would be running over to Paris about then, as he was not going to Scotland till September, and he hoped I would let him look after me on the way. I said I did not know which day I was going, probably Wednesday, so as I am starting on Monday, Mamma, there will be no chance of his coming with me, which would annoy you very much I am sure. To-day we have done nothing but loll about and play croquet. Lady Bobby and the men and some other women went to 57 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Paul and the Show again in the morning, but I was yirginia having a match with Jane Roose, and so we did not bother to go. This afternoon when Lady Bobby began her rabbit shooting it seemed so danger- ous on the croquet lawn, especially after she hit the gardener, that we all went on the lake in the launch. We landed on the island, and somehow or other Lord Valmond and I got left alone in the Belvedere looking at the view. The others went off without us, which made me furi- ous, as I am sure he did it on purpose. But when I accused him of it, he said such a thing would never have entered his head. He had a nasty smile all the time in the corner of his eye, and did not take the least pains about trying to undo the other little boat which we found at last, although I kept telling him we should be late for dinner. He said he wished we had not to go back at all, that he thought we should be very happy together on this little island like Paul and Virginia. I can't tell you. Mamma, what a temper I was in. 58 HAZELDENE COURT I wish I had never met him — or that he The had not been rude at Nazeby — it is so difficult ^f'^^- to behave with dignity when a person has a Marquh nice voice and makes you laugh, although you are awfully cross with him inside. Then I have to be thinking all the time about my dimple not to let it come out, as that is what caused his rudeness, and with one thing and another it upsets me so, that my cheeks are always burning when I am with him, and I feel as if I should like to box his ears or cry ; and I hope after to- morrow I shall never see him again. He rowed so slowly when we did get into the boat that I offered to do it, but he would not let me. I would not talk to him at all. When we got to the landing I jumped out so that he should not help me, and gave my head a crack against the pole in the boat house. I fancied I heard him saying, " Darling ! have you hurt yourself? What a brute I am to tease you ! " but I did not wait for any more. I ran to the house as fast as I could, and as he had to tie up the boat, I was just getting into the hall when he caught me up. My head hurt 59 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The dreadfully, and I was so tired and cross, and , " everything, that the tears would come into ships of a ^ T 1 • 1 1 • 1 Marquis "^7 ^7^^. 1 did not want him to see, but I am afraid he did, so before he could speak I rushed on again and got safely to my room. I am sure it is very rude to call people "darling" without their leave, is n*t it. Mamma ? I went in to dinner with a sporting curate who lives near, and he kept making his bread into crumbs on the cloth and then sweeping them up with his knife into a heap, between every course. What strange habits people have ! After dinner Mrs. Westaway took Lord Valmond and sat in the window seat, and when he did get away, and was coming over to me, I said my head was aching from the knock I gave it, and came up to bed, and as he has to catch an early train in the morning I shan't come down until he has gone. I don't want to see him any more, it is too fatiguing quarrelling all the time, and one could not forgive him and be friends I suppose after such behaviour as his at Nazeby — could one. Mamma? 6o HAZELDENE COURT Now good-night ; I am sleepy. — Your The aiFectionate daughter, Hard- ^ ships of a Elizabeth. ^^^^-^.^ P.S. — I should hate to be a marquis al- ways having to take the hostess in to dinner no matter how old and ugly she is, just because a duke is n't present. 6i Chateau de Croixmare CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE Chateau de Croixmare, i6th August. DEAREST MAMMA, — What d. J For- crossing we had, perfectly disgust- ^^^^^^^ ing ! The sky was without a V cloud, but such a wind that every one was sick, so one could not enjoy oneself. Agnes became rapidly French too directly we landed at Dieppe, and the carriage was full of stuffy people, who would not have a scrap of window open ; however, Jean was waiting for us at Paris. We snatched some food at the restaurant, and then caught the train to Vinant. Jean is quite good-looking, but with an awfully respectable expression. Any one could tell he was married even without looking at his wedding ring. He was polite, and made conversation all the time in the train, and as the engine kept 5 es THE VISITS OF ELI Z A BETH A For- puffing and shrieking I was obliged to mMle continually say ''Pardon?'' so it made it mother rather heavy. I think he has changed a good deal since their wedding — let me see — that must be eight years ago, as I was nine then ; I hardly remembered him. Godmamma was waiting for us in the hall when we arrived. Chateau de Croix- mare is a nice place, but I am glad I am not French. It was the hottest night of the year almost, and not a breath of air in the house, every shutter closed and the curtains drawn. Heloise had gone to bed with a migraine^ Godmamma explained, but Victorine was there. She has grown up plain, and looks much more than five years older than me. They were n't in evening dress, or even tea-gowns like in England — it did seem strange. Mme. de Croixmare looks a dragon ! I can't think how poor papa insisted upon my having such a godmother. Her face is quite white, and her hair so black and drawn off her forehead, and she has a bristly moustache. She is also very up- right and thin, and walks with an ebony 66 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE stick, and her voice is like a peacock's. ^ For- She looked me through and through, and "^^f^' I felt all my French getting jumbled, and another it came out with such an English accent ; and after we had bowed a good deal, and said heaps of Ollendorfish kind of sen- tences, I was given some " sirop " and water, and conducted to bed by Victorine. She is a big dump with a shiny com- plexion, and such a very small mouth, and I am sure I shall hate her, she is n't a bit good-natured-looking like Jean. The house is really fine Louis XV., and my bedroom and cabinet de toilette are de- licious, so is my bed ; but the attitude of Agnes — such a conscious pride in the supe- riority of France — nearly drove me mad. There is n't a decent dressing-table mirror, only one in an old silver frame about eight inches square, and that is sitting on the writing-table — or what would be the writing- table, if there happened to be any pens and things, which there are n't. All the hanging places open out of the panels of the wall, there are no wardrobes, only beautiful marble-topped bureaux; but I was so tired 67 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A French \ left Agnes to settle everything and Fmntly at jumped into bed. This morning I woke early, and had the loveliest cup of chocolate, but such a silly bath, and almost cold water. There are no housemaids, and nothing is done with precise regularity like at home, although they are so rich. Agnes had to fish for everything of that sort herself, and such a lot of talking went on in the passage between her and the valet de chamhre^ before I even got this teeny tiny tray to splash in. However, I did get dressed at last, and went for a walk in the garden — not a soul about but a few gardeners. The begonias are magnificent, but there is no look of park beyond the garden, or nice deer and things that we would have for such a house in England. It is more like a sort of big villa. I saw Jean at last in the distance, going round and round a large pond on his bicycle. He did look odd ! in a thick striped jersey, and the tightest knicker- bockers ; almost as low as a "scorcher.'* He jumped off and made a most polite bow, and explained he was doing it for 68 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE exercise. But I do think that an idiotic A French reason — don't you. Mamma ? It would be ^'"'^^ ^* just as much exercise on a road. How- ever, he assured me that, Hke that, he knew exactly how many miles he went on the flat before breakfast, so I suppose it was all right. I saw he wanted to continue his ride, so I walked on, and presently came to a summer-house, where Victorine and the dame de compagnie were doing their morn- ing reading. There were also the two little girls building castles out of a heap of sand, and with them the most hideous German maid you ever saw. They are queer-looking little monkeys, Yolande is like Jean, but Marie — there are three years between them — is as black as ink — but where was I ? Oh, yes ! — well, by this time I was so hungry I could have eaten them, German honne and all ! Fortunately Godmamma turned up, and we strolled back to dejeuner. Heloise was in the salon, and she is charming, such a contrast to the rest of the party. She was beautifully dressed and so chic, 69 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH J French We took to each other at once, she has Family at ^^^ picked up that solid married look ^^^ like Jean, so perhaps it is only the husbands who get it in France. There was a good deal of ceremony going in to breakfast. Jean gave his mother his arm, and we trotted behind. The dining-room is a perfect room, except there is no carpet, and the food was lovely, only I do hate to see a great hand covered with a white cotton glove, plopping a dish down on the lighted thing in the middle, so that one has to look at the next course all the time one is finishing the last one. The way in which the two little monkeys and the German maid devoured their breakfast quite took one's appetite away. There seemed to be numbers of men-servants, who wore white cotton gloves, and their liveries buttoned up to the throat, which takes away that nice clean-shirt-look of our servants at home. This afternoon we are going to pay a visit of ceremony to the Comte and Comtesse de Tournelle ; we are going 70 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE with them on their yacht down the Seine French to-morrow. It is Jean and Heloise who ^^^'^^^^^ have arranged to take me — it is kind of them, and it will be fun ; and I am glad it is not considered proper for young French girls to go without their mothers, because we shall get rid of Victorine, and the voyage will be more agreeable. Agnes and the other maids and valets are going by train, and will meet us with the luggage at the different places we stop at each night, as the Sauterelle is too small to carry every- thing. I must go and get ready now, so good-bye, dear Mamma. — Your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. 71 " Sau terelle THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Yacht SauterelU^ jph August, Yacht Dearest Mamma, — I am writing as we float down the Seine, it is too enchanting. We are a party of ten. The Comte and Comtesse de Tournelle ; her mother, the Baronne de Larnac, and her uncle, the Baron de Fremond, Jean, Heloise, and me ; the Marquise de Vermondoise, and two young men, officers in the Cavalry, stationed at Versailles. One is the Vicomte Gaston de la Tremors, and the other's name is so long that I can't get it, so you must know him by " Antoine *' — he is some sort of a rela- tion of Heloise's. The Baronne is a de- lightful person, the remains of extreme good looks and distinction. She was a beauty under the Empire, and her feet are so small, she is just as soign'ee as if she was young, and so vain and human. She lives with her daughter while they are in the country — it seems the custom here, these huge family parties living together all the summer. The young people have their appartement in the Champs Elysees in Paris, 72 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE and the old ones go to the family hotel ^ Visit in the Faubourg St. Germain, We did say ^ ^^^~ a lot of polite things when we went to pay our visit yesterday, and although they know one another so well — as it was a " visit of ceremony " to introduce me — we all had our best clothes on, and sat in the large salon — (there are four Louis XVI. arm chairs, sticking out each side of the fireplaces, in all the salons here). Heloise and the Comtesse de Tournelle are great friends. The Comte de Tournelle is charming, he is like the people in the last century Memoirs, he ought to have powdered hair, and his manners have a distinction and a wit quite unlike any- thing in England. One can see he is descended from people who had their heads cut off for being aristocrats. Jean says he does not belong to le Sporting^ and is fearfully effeminate. He can't even put on his own socks without his valet, and he never rides or bicycles or anything, but just does a little motor-earring, and fights a few duels. The Comtesse de Tournelle is small 73 mony THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A Visit and young and rather dull ; she reads a 'I2r' g^^^t ^^^^' The old boy, the Baron de Fremond (he owns the Sauterelle) is a jolly old soul, and chaffs his sister and niece, and every one, all the time, and thinks it so funny to talk fearful English. The two young men have n't looked at me much. They are in uniform! and they put their heels together and bowed deeply when they were introduced, but we have n't spoken yet. The Marquise de Vermondoise is perfectly lovely, so fascinating, with such a queer deep voice, and one tooth at the side of the front missing; and her tongue keeps getting in there when she speaks, which gives her a kind of lisp, and it is awfully attractive. I think de Tournelle would Kke to kiss her, by the way he looked at her when she thanked him for handing her on board. It is a steam yacht with a wee cabin, and a deck above that, with seats look- ing out each side, like old omnibuses, and in the stern (if that means the back part) are the sailors and the engines, and the oddest arrangement of cooking appa- 74 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE ratus. You should just taste the exquisite The In- breakfasts that Hippolyte (the Baronne de ^''''^^/'^ Larnac's maitre d'hotel) cooked for us this morning after we started. He is the queerest creature, with a face like a baboon, and side whiskers, and the rest a deep blue from shaving. The Baronne says she could not live without him ; he is a splendid cook, and a perfect femme de chambre^ and ready for anything. He is much more familiar than we should ever let a servant be in England. It was rough all the morning, quite waves. The Seine is only half a mile from the Chateau de Croixmare, and runs past the Tournelles* garden, so they have a private landing stage, and we all embarked from there. Jean and the Comte are dressed in beauti- ful English blue serges, and look neat enough to be under a glass case. The old Baron does not care what he wears, and this morning while he was working with the sailors had on a black Sunday coat ! The Baronne kept screaming when the boat rocked a little. " Nous ferons nau- 75 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The In- frage ! Mon Dieu ! Mon Dieu ! " and the valuable yicomte tried to comfort her, but she did not stop till Hippolyte popped his head out of the cabin and said, " Pas de danger ! et il ne faut pas que Mme. la Baronne fasse la Bebete ! " At dejeuner we had only one plate each, and one knife and fork. It was so windy we could not have it under the awning in the bows, and the cabin is so narrow that the seats are against the wall, and the table in the middle. No one can pass to wait, so between the courses we washed our plates in the Seine, out of the window. It was gay ! They are all so witty, but it is not considered correct to talk just to one's neighbour, a conversation a deux. Every- thing must be general, so it is a continual sharpening of wits, and one has to shout a good deal, as otherwise, with every one talking at once, one would not be heard. I know French pretty well as you know, but they say a lot of strange things I can't understand, and whenever I answer or ask why, they go into fits of laughter and say, " Est elle gentille Tenfant ! hein ! " 76 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE We are going to stop at the next small The In- village to post the letters, so good-bye, dear ^^f"^^*^ A^r XT n- ' 1 1 Hippolyte Mamma. — Your aitectionate daughter, Elizabeth. P.S, — I hope you won't get muddled, Mamma, with all their names, it takes so long writing the whole thing, so please re- member Mme. de Larnac is the " Baronne," Monsieur de Fremond is the " Baron," Mon- sieur de Tournelle is the " Comte," Mme. de Tournelle is the " Comtesse," Mme. de Vermondoise is the " Marquise," Monsieur de la Tremors is the " Vicomte," and " hn- toine '' is the other officer. So if I have n't always time to put their names you will know now which they are. 11 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Vernon, Yacht Sauterelle^ Thursday morning, Vernon Dearest M amm a, — The scenery we came through yesterday is quite beautiful, but I did not pay so much attention to it as I might have done, because Jean and the Comte would talk to me. You would be amused at Vernon, where we stayed the night in such an inn ! I believe it is the only one in the place, and as old as the hills. You get at the bedrooms from an open gallery that runs round the court- yard, and that smells of garlic and stables. We got here about six, and started en masse to inspect the rooms. Hippolyte had en- gaged them beforehand, and seemed rather apologetic about them, and finally, when there did not appear half enough to go round, he shrugged his shoulders almost up to his ears and said, " Que voulez vous ! " and that " Ces Messieurs '* would have to be " tres bourgeois en voyage," and that there was nothing for it but that Mme. la Comtesse de Tournelle should " partager Tappartement de Monsieur le Comte de 78 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE Tournelle," and that Monsieur le Comte A Neces- de Croixmare would have to extend like ^^^ .' hospitality to Mme. la Comtesse de Croix- mare. This caused shrieks of derision. Heloise said she would prefer to sleep on the dining-room table, and " Antoine " said he thought people ought to be a little more careful of their reputations even en voyage. Finally they unearthed a baby's cot in the room that Hippolyte had designed for the Croixmare menage, and de Tournelle said it was the very thing for me, but Jean replied, " Mon cher ami c'est une Bebe beaucoup trop emoustillante," which I thought very rude, just as if I snored, or something dreadful like that. Then, after a further prowl, a fearful little hole was discovered beyond, with no curtains to the windows, or blinds, or shutters, just a scrap of net. The face of Agnes when she saw it ! Dinner was not until seven, so Jean and I went out for a walk ; as Hippolyte advised us to try and find a chemist and buy some flea powder. "Je trouverai 9a plus pru- dent," he said. Jean is getting quite natural 79 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A Neces- with me now, and is n*t so awfully polite. sary Fre- ^pj^^ chemist took us for a honeymoon couple (as, of course, if I had been French I could not have gone for a walk with Jean alone). He — the chemist — was so sympathetic, he had only one packet of powder left, he said, as so much was re- quired by the voyageurs and inhabitants that he was out of it (that did not sound a pleasant prospect for our night) — " Mais, madame " (that *s me), " n'est pas assez grasse pour les attirer," he added by way of consolation. It was spitting with rain when we got back, and they all made such a fuss for fear I had got wet, and they would not for worlds stir out of doors to see the church or anything, which I heard is very picturesque. We had such an amusing dinner, the food was wonderful, consider- ing the place, but a horrible cloth and pewter forks and spoons. There were two officiers at another table (only infantry), and they were so interested in our party. " Antoine " sat next to me, and in a pause in the general conversation he said to me 80 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE (it is the first time he has addressed me Close directly), " 11 fait mauvais temps, made- >z«^r Yvater I came away, as they both looked as rallies" ^^ ^^^y wanted to murder me. The excite- ment had made Monsieur Dubois' collar quite give way, and he looked a dirtier and more pitiable object than usual. Such an affair the ^^ Diner des fian(^ailles ! " Victorine wore a pink dress too, with horrid bunches of daisies on her shoulders and in her hair ; and, as that is dark and greasy, and dragged off her face, and done in the tightest twist at the top, it does not look a suitable place for daisies to be sprouting from. I hate things in the hair anyway, don't you. Mam- ma ? However she was delighted with her- self, so it was all right. We waited in the big salon, standing behind Godmamma t6 receive the company. First arrived the old Baron and the Baronne, and the Marquis and his mother. The Marquis kissed Victorine's hand as well as Godmamma's and Heloise's, and you should have seen her bridling ! When he got to me he made the stiffest bow ; and just then the Comte and Comtesse de Tournelle, the Marquise de Vermandoise, 182 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE and the Vicomte were announced, and The des Fian- immediately following, " Antoine '' and "^'"^'^ two cousins of Godmamma's. To finish rallies''^ the party there were a batch of the Marquis's relations, who had come specially from Paris. We were spared Yolande and Marie, who usually sit up to dinner with their German bonne, and eat everything that they should n't, and then scream in the night. There was a buzz of conversation, and the Vicomte talked to me, but I could not help hearing what the Marquis said to Victorine — " Vous aimez la bicyclette, mademoiselle ?" " Oui, monsieur." " Moi j'aime mieux I'automobile." " Mais il y a toujours de la poussiere ! " And they are going to be married in a month ! The Vicomte kept bending over me and looking silly, and the Marquis fidgeted so that he could not go on talking to Victorine — one eye was always fixed on us. That seemed to please the Vicomte, for he got more and more empresse, and I could not help laughing in return. At dinner he took 183 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A Con- in Mme. de Vermandoise, but sat next me, tretemps ^^^ ^^ ^^ Other hand was one of the cousins, a harmless idiot too timid to speak much, and with all kinds of horrid baby fluffs growing on his face. If men are to wear beards (which I should forbid if I were the Queen) they ought to be shut up till they are really grown. Opposite to us were Victorine and the Marquis, and Godmamma and the Baron, and Jean and the Marquis's mother. They did look a dull lot, and the Marquis's mother eats worst of all ! We had the greatest fun at our side, Mme. de Verman- doise was delicious with gaiety, the Comte was on her other hand, and we four never stopped joking and laughing the whole of dinner. It was such a big party, so the conversation could not be quite as general as usual. The Marquis got gloomier and gloomier as time went on. I could not look up that I did not find his angry eyes fixed on me. Even Victorine's aggressive joy at having caught him was damped when she could not get him to pay attention to 184 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE what she was saying. At last when he was ^ Con- straining his ears to try and hear my con- *^^^^^P^ versation with the Vicomte, she got abso- lutely exasperated with him, and addressed a question to him in a loud, sharp voice. It made him jump so that he bounced round in his seat ; and as she had lowered her head to put the piece of becassine — which had been poised on her fork while she spoke — into her mouth, his jumping round, and her raising her head suddenly, made her daisies catch on his beard ; and you never saw such a funny sight. Mamma ! It was a nasty little wired dewdrop that got fixed in poor Monsieur de Beaupre's fur, and there they were : she still grasping her fork and he looking ready to eat her with annoyance. Their two heads were fastened together, and there they would have remained, only Hip- polyte (who always goes everywhere with the Baronne) came to the rescue, and un- tangled them. But it hurt the Marquis very much, as some of the hairs had to be pulled out, and it did not mend matters Hippolyte muttering, " Cela doit etre que Monsieur le Marquis doit faire plus attention a T affaire 185 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The Vi- qu'il a en main, s'il desire garder ses cheveux '''^^''' intacts.'* Proposal The affair made quite a commotion at the table, and Victorine so nearly cried with rage that the Marquis's mother had to give her smelling salts. Mme. de Ver- mandoise was overcome with laughter, and her tongue was hardly ever out of her gap, while the Marquis sat, white with fury. When we left the table, arm-in-arm, things cleared up, and, while we were alone when the men went back to smoke, Victorine was made to "play something," and she really plays very well. It was so stiflingly hot that at last some one — the Comtesse, I believe — asked to have the windows opened on to the terrace. There was a fair-sized moon, and we all went out there, even Godmamma for a few moments. The men came out of the smoking-room windows and joined us, and for the first time since I have been in France we talked to the persons we wanted to, without either shouting across some one else or making a general conversation. 1 86 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE " Antoine " and Heloise leant over the The Vi- balustrade ; the Comte and the Marquise ^^J^^^ ^ stayed by the window, while the Vicomte whispered to me by the steps ; and Victorine and her Marquis stood like two wax figures, not saying a word, by the orange trees. I don't know whether it was owing to the moon or not, but the Vicomte did say such a lot of charming things to me. He said he loved me, and would I marry him ; he would arrange it all, as fortunately he has no parents to consult. I seem to be getting quite used to pro- posals now, because it did not excite me in the least. But I don't think I want to marry any one yet. Mamma ; so I told him you would never let me marry a French- man, and he had better forget all about me. He said as much about love as he could in the ten minutes we were left talking together, and put it so nicely — not a bit that violent want-to-eat-one-up-way the Marquis has. I felt once or twice quite inclined to say yes, if only it had been an affair of a week ; but unfortunately, even in France, you have to stay on with people 187 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The Vi- longer than that, and that is the part I comte 5 could not have managed. I made him understand at last that I really meant not to have him, and he was very miserable. But you can't tear your hair or cry, with every one looking on, and, as it all had to be done in a voice as if one was talking about the weather, he did not show much. Only he looked very white when we came into the lights again, but he whispered as he said good-night that he did not despair ; he would always love me, and when I married some one else his day would come, which I did not think kind of him, as I don't want to be a widow. The Marquis had not a chance to say a word to me ; he tried often, but I avoided him, he looked so out of temper. I am sure it would have been something disagree- able. He and the Vicomte nearly came to blows going out of the door, just over a silly thing like the Vicomte's sword knock- ing against the Marquis's boot. I hope they won't really fight. When they had all gone, and we were going up to bed, I thought Jean looked as if his fit was coming i88 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE on again, so I bolted into my room ; and Hippo- on the whole I am rather glad to be coming yJf ^ back to England on Thursday. monial To-day we go over to Tournelle, a visit of ceremony for me to say good-bye, and they are all dear people there, and I shall always hope to see them again. — Now good-bye, dear Mamma, with love from your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. P,S. — I wish his hair was n't cut en hrosse. But of course one could n't marry a Frenchman anyway. Chateau de Croixmare, Wednesday^ September yth. Dearest Mamma, — It was really quite sad saying good-bye to all the people at Tournelle. The Baronne almost wept over me, and said that they would be dreadfully dull without me. They all kissed me on both cheeks, and even Hippolyte as he put us into the carriage after I tipped him, re- marked, " Mieux vaut epouser un fran9ais et 189 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Hippo- Tester toujours chez nous, vous etes trop belle yjf \ demoiselle pour le brouillard d'Angleterre ! " monial ^ wonder after all if the Marquis will ever marry Victorine, as it seems, when he got back last night, he was in such a temper that he made a scene with the Baronne and his mother. He said that Victorine made him look ridiculous, that she was unappe- tising, without wit, and ugly enough to have tranquillised St. Anthony at his worst moment of temptation — whatever that means. (I overheard the Baronne tell all this to Heloise while the old Baron was making me compliments in his fearful Eng- lish.) The Marquis stamped his foot, and finally, bursting into tears, announced that he would go to Paris, back to Adele — whoever she is — and find consolation ! So off he started this morning the first thing. What a man. Mamma ! crying like a child ! His mother and the Baronne are very anxious about him, as if he really decides to ^^ Jeter le mane he apres la cognee^' who is to pay his debts ! The Baronne also said, that if " EHsabet " (that 's me) had only been married, it would have been all a 190 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE simple matter; because then there would Etiquette be no cause for him to despair, and ^^^Z f would not have occupied himself about an ordinary subject, like who they married him to in the meantime. But, as it is, the con- trast between us — Victorine and me — whom he cannot obtain — is too great, and the sooner I am out of his sight the better ! It does sound all Greek, does n*t it to you. Mamma? I repeat it just as the Baronne said it. We went into the garden presently, and the Marquise and the Comte and I walked together; she had not got over the affair at dinner, and did nothing but laugh and joke about it. She said that Victorine at all events will give the Marquis no anxieties in the future, but she is sure he will have to " se griser " to get through the wedding. Fortunately Victorine was not with us, as Godmamma was too tired to accompany her ; it would not have been proper for her to come with only her brother and sister-in- law, as her fiance^ being supposed to be at Tournelle, she might have had private conversation with him not under God- mamma's eye ! 191 Fiances THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Etiquette Oh! mustn't it be awful to be French! for the^ Heloise says it is n't so bad as this in the smart set in Paris ; they speak to one another there quite a lot before getting married, and do almost English things, but Godmamma is of the old school. Before we left, the Marquis turned up, he looked thoroughly worn out and as piano as a beaten dog. He was awfully polite to Jean and Heloise, and hardly looked at me, but as I did not want to leave with him still feeling cross with me, I got the chance at last to tell him I hoped he would be happy, and to congratulate him. He bowed deeply and thanked me, and then under his breath, as he stooped to pick up a flower I had dropped, he said, " Vous avez brise mon cceur, et cela m'est egal ce qui arrive," — but I don't believe it. Mamma, he hals not got a heart to break, he is only a silly doll and worthy of Victorine. I saw the Baronne talking to him seriously while we were having " five o'clock ; " and just as we were starting, she came up and said low to Heloise, who was beside me, " J'espere que tout va bien, Adele I'a rem- 192 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE place, et ne veut plus de lui ! Oh ! la ^ bonne fille ! " So whoever " Adele" is, I ^^'^'^^^ suppose she has done Victorine a good p^^^ turn. I asked Heloise on our way home if " Adele " was a relation of the Marquis's ; and she went into fits of laughter and said, " Ouij une tres proche/* but I can't see anything to laugh at, can you. Mamma? In the evening there was a ghastly dinner party at Croixmare. Three sets of provincial families. They are really awful these entertainments, and so different to English ones ! Nobody bothers about even numbers. You feel obliged to ask the X's, the Y's, and the Z's from duty, and so you do. It does n't in the least matter if they are mostly females; you have to ask the family, because if the daughters are grown up they can't be left at home alone — they would be getting into mis- chief This is the kind of assortment that arrives : Papa X, Mamma X, and two girl X'es ; Papa Y, Mamma Y, and Master and Miss Y ; Papa Z, Mamma Z, Aunt Z, and Mdlle. Z — such a party! Godmamma just revels in these frumps ; 13 193 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A they make Heloise furious, and the airs Country ^^ Victorine, her coyness and giggling, p^^fy nearly drove me wild. I sat next to Monsieur Y, and although he is a Baron of very old family he ate like a pig. The food was extraordinarily good, but the proof of good service here is to get the whole dinner — of I don't know how many courses — over under the hour. So one has no sooner swallowed a mouthful, when one's plate is snatched away, and one begins to devour something else. But with this awful man gobbling at my side, and those foolish girls giggling beyond, even the forty minutes seemed ages. Afterwards in the salon the ^^jeunesfilles" were sent to talk at the other side of the room, supervised by " the Tug," who did not dine, but was in waiting. If you had heard their conversation. Mamma ! It was worse than the day the two came to breakfast. Just one endless string of questions to Victorine about the Marquis, with giggles over possibilities of their own fiancaillesl It is so extraordinary that they can ever turn into witty, fascinating women 194 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE like Heloise and the Marquise. Of course, ^ Cure these are just provincial nobodies, whom^'^'^ ^ ^^ Heloise would not dream of knowing in Paris ; perhaps the girls there are better. Victorine told them the Marquis was " Beau comme TArchange Michel," and had for her " une brulante devotion ! " What will she say if after all he refuses to come to the scratch ! Jean is to accompany Agnes and me up to Paris to-morrow to see us safely off to Dieppe. I hope he won't have another fit in the train, I shall tell Agnes to take plenty of salts and brandy in her bag, and a bottle of soda water, because I have always heard that a sudden shock is best for people in fits, and one could pop the soda water over him if the worst came to the worst. — Now, good-night, dear Mamma, your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. F.S. — An awful wind is blowing. I hope I shan't be drowned crossing the Channel. — E. »95 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The Emotion of the Chateau de Croixmare, Thursday night. Dearest Mamma, — I hope you got the telegram all right to-day saying I would Marquis ^^^ leave. The storm became really so fearful they would not hear of my start- ing, and as it has turned out I am very glad, for to-night we dined at Tournelle to celebrate the Baronne*s birthday, and we had such an amusing time. All the usual lot were there, as well as those two officers who came to the Foire with us, and about three or four more people from Paris, so we were quite a large party. Everybody gave the Baronne a present, and such baskets of flowers as she had in the salon ! " Assez pour tourner la tete," as Hippolyte said. The Baronne was dressed in pale mauve and looked lovely, only such a funny thing happened at dinner. The Vicomte, who sat next to her, made her laugh dreadfully, just as she was eating her soup, and she choked, and suddenly one cheek quite fell in, while the other stuck out as if a potato was in it. 196 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE One could not think what had happened ; The but it appears that she wears " plumpers," ^^^f^^^ of a kind of red guttapercha, to keep ji^arquis her face nice and round, and in choking the right cheek's one got jerked across into the left cheek, and that is how she got the toothachy look. Mustn't it be a bother, Mamma, to have to do all that ? but the Baronne is such a dear that one did not even laugh. The Marquis had to sit by Victorine, and I saw him looking at the pink rosebuds in her hair with a cautious eye ; and he sat up as straight as anything in case she should get caught in him again. But it is all right, he means to go through with it — the Baronne told Heloise directly we got there. So I thought, as it was finally settled, there would be no harm in talking to him a little. He looked at me at dinner, I smiled, and it was so quaint. Mamma, his whole face seemed to flush until his fore- head was even pink, with the veins show- ing at the side. He lifted his champagne glass and kissed the edge of it, and bowed to me, and no one saw but the Comte, 197 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Elizabeth and he went into a chuckle of laughter, f", as he whispered to me that if Victorine wiched . . / , , . , had seen she would certainly tear my eyes out on the way home. Afterwards, in the salon, the Vicomte managed to stand behind me while I was talking to the old Baron, and he said in a low voice : Why had I come back P He was at peace waiting till his day came, and here I had upset everything, and he should have to go through endless more restless nights ! I said that I was sorry the storm had prevented my starting, especially as I was unwelcome. So he threw prudence to the winds, and said out loud before the Baron that I knew it was not that, and he looked so devoted and distressed that the dear old Baron patted him on the back, and turning away said, " Mon brave Gaston, moi aussi j'etais jeune une fois.*' And he left us alone by the window, while he stood a sort of sentry in front. The Vicomte did whisper a lot of things ; he said just for one evening I might make him happy and pretend I loved him, and let him call me " ckerie" So I said '' all 198 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE right ; " I did not think it could matter, Eli-zabeth Sand- wiched as I am coming home to-morrow. Mamma, ^^^^~ and shall probably never see him again, and you said one ought always to be kind- hearted and do little things for people. When I said " all right," his forehead got pink, and the veins showed just like the Marquis's had done at dinner, and he said, " Cherie — ma cherie^ ma bien-aimee " in such a voice ! It made me feel quite as if I wanted to listen to some more, only, un- fortunately at that moment, Godmamma came up ; she brushed the Baron aside, and said I should certainly catch cold by the window, and must come with her, while she annihilated the Vicomte with a look. There I was, taken off to a sofa at the other side of the room, and stuffed down between Godmamma and the Mar- quis's mother. You can think I was cross. However, I paid her out, for I just looked at the Marquis, who was seated by his Victorine almost silent and Hke a dummy (they are allowed to talk together now, as long as they are not alone in the 199 Togeth THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The room). It made him fidget so, he could rlf^[^l not attend to what she was saying. And when finally he got up and came over to us and said, had I seen the new " Nattier '* the Comte had just bought, which was in the other salon, and would I come and look at it ? — I think Godmamma wished she had left me safe with the Vicomte. She could not say anything, as half the party had already gone to look at the picture, so I got up at once and went with him. His mother is years older than the Baronne, and not a bit gay like her. I sawthem — her and Godmamma — nodding their heads anxiously as we left ; no doubt they were deploring the bad bringing-up of the English. The Marquis said it was awful what he was going through ; and when the dancing began presently would I give him the first valse ? I said Certainly, and by that time we were in the other salon, and beside the Marquise. She smiled her dear little smile, which always seems to mock at everything, and put her tongue into her gap and whis- pered : " Quelle comedie ! c'est bien petite 200 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE espiegle, amusez-vous ! " And so I did ! I The can't tell you what fun it was, Mamma. I ^^^^^^ was in wild spirits, and the Marquis answered back, and we were as gay as larks, until I overheard the Marquis's mother, .who had followed us, say to him, in an acid voice, that he seemed to have forgotten that it was arranged for him to give Victorine the engagement ring that evening and say a few appropriate words to her, and he must take her to see the flowers in the conservatory, and get it over there. So off he had to go, looking black and peevish, and supervised by the two mothers — who stood at the risk of catching their deaths of cold by the door — he and Victorine went arm-in-arm into the conservatory, and dis- appeared behind some pots of palms. It appears Mme. de Vermandoise and the Comte were in there too, and saw what hap- pened, and she told Heloise and me after- wards. The fiances came and stood quite close to them, with only a bank of flowers between ; and they said the palms were pretty and were growing very tall, and the Marquis coughed, and Victorine began 20 1 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The scrabbling with her toes on the marble floor Pi^nces jj^ ^j^^^ irritating way she has, and they neither of them spoke. At last the Mar- quis dashed at it, and said, as she already knew, their parents had arranged they should marry, and he hoped he would make her happy. At that moment the piano struck up very loud in the salon, and pre- vented Victorine from quite catching what he said ; he got very red and repeated it again, but he mumbled so she still was not sure, and had to say " Pardon ? " for the second time. That upset the Marquis to such a point that he said " Damn," which is the only English word he knows, and when Victorine looked horribly surprised, he dived into his waistcoat pocket and fished out the ring. Then he took her hand, pulled off her glove backwards, and pushed it on to the first finger he came to, which happened to be the middle one ! He just said he hoped she would wear it for his sake; and when she exclaimed, " Mais, monsieur ! ce n'est pas sur ce doigt que vous devez mettre la bague ! " he hardly waited to apologise or put it right before he dragged her back 202 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE to the salon and deposited her with the The anxious mothers ! thers ! Baronne's Mme. de Vermandoise said she and the ^ Comte nearly had a fit to keep themselves from laughing out loud. Was n*t it too comic. Mamma ? How I should hate to be betrothed like that! However, Victorine seems to think half a loaf is better than no bread, for she kept her glove off all the rest of the evening, and looked at her ring with conscious pride. It is a very nice one, a ruby and a pearl heart connected by a diamond Marquis's coronet. They ought to have added a money-bag representing the dot, and then the symbol would have been complete. We had begun to dance when they got back, and, as the Marquis had not been there to claim me, I was valsing with Jean. The Baronne kept the Vicomte close to her side all the rest of the evening — she told me, as she kissed me in saying good-bye, that she had done it for peace sake, as she knew he and the Marquis would have had a quarrel otherwise, they were both so madly in love with me. " Petite embrouil- 203 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The lante d'heureuses families va ! " she said- — Baronne's « M^is je t'aime bien quand meme! " — She is ^J a darling, the Baronne ! The Marquis stood there glowering, and never offered to dance with Victorine; she must have been cross! We had another farewell all round when the valse was over — Godmamma would not stay for another, and even "Antoine" seemed sorry to say " Adieu'' " Depechez-vous de vous marier," he said, " et ensuite revenez aupres de nous. J*ai envie de vous faire la cour, mais vous etes beaucoup trop danger- euse pour le moment." " ^a, c*est vrai ! " said the Comte and Jean together, and every one laughed. Now that the betrothal ring is really on Victorine's finger, and Heloise knows she will be got off, she does not mind a bit about the Marquis looking at me. She kept laughixig to herself over it all the way home ; she really detests Victorine. Godmamma and the bride-elect hardly spoke a word, and I am sure if a perfect hurricane blows to-morrow, they won*t suggest my waiting another day, so I shall be glad to be off. 204 CHATEAU DE CROIXMARE Good-night, dear Mamma ; you will see The me almost as soon as you get this, as I '^^^J^^^ ^ shall only sleep the night in London at ^^ Aunt Mary's. — With love from your affec- tionate daughter, Elizabeth. 205 Retby R E T B Y Retby D September 20th. BAREST MAMMA,— You might Lady TheoCi sia's Pets have prepared me for what Lady ^^°^°' Theodosia looks like, because when I arrived yesterday and was shown into her boudoir, and found her lying on the sofa, covered with dogs and cats, I as nearly as possible laughed out loud, and it would have been so rude. She had evidently been asleep, and it looked like a mountain having an earthquake when she got up, and animals rolled off her in all directions. A poodle, two fox terriers, a toy Spitz, and a cat and kitten, had all been sleeping in the nooks her outline makes. They all barked in dif- ferent keys, and between saying, " Down, Hector ! " " Quiet, Fluff! " " Hush, hush, Fanny ! " " Did um know it was a stranger?'* etc., etc., she got in that she was glad to see 14 209 sta s Pets THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Lady me, and hoped you were better. When she iK)eoao-^ Stands Up she is ^^/ojW/ Her body dressed in the last fashion, and then the queerest face with no neck, and lemon-coloured hair parted down the middle, and not matching a bit with the chignon of thick plaits at the back. It looks as if it were strapped on with a black velvet band that comes across her forehead, like in the pictures on the nursery screen at home that the Great-aunts made when they were children. She seems as kind as possible, and has the fattest wheezy voice. Her room is appalling ; it is full of Early Victorian furniture, and horrid alabaster statuette things, under glass cases, and then a few modern arm-chairs covered in gorgeous brocade, but it is all clawed by the cats, and soiled by the dogs' muddy feet, and you are unable to make up your mind where it will be safe to sit. When tea came in, which it did immediately, you can't think what it was like ! A St. Bernard and another poodle joined the party, and while we were trying to get something to eat and drink, they all 2IO R E T B Y begged or barked or pushed their noses " Clever under the muffin dish lid, or took cakes y^~„ from the side table; and Lady Theodosia kept saying, " Clever darlings ; see, they know where their favourite bits are/* It is impossible to have a connected conver- sation with her, because between every few words she puts in ejaculations about the dogs. I was obliged to simply bolt my crumpet like a Frenchman, to keep it from being snatched from me. Just as we were finishing tea, Mr. Doran and three men came in. He is a teeny-weeny man with a big head and rather weak eyes, and he and she do look odd together. What could it have been like when they trotted down the aisle after getting married ! It is a mercy Lady Theodosia is only your second cousin, and that her shape has not descended to our branch of the family. All the " children " — as she calls the ani- mals — barked again when the men came in. There was only a miserable tea left, and, when Mr. Doran ventured to say the dogs had made things rather messy. Lady Theo- dosia annihilated him. It was as if he had THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH " Clever insulted her nearest and dearest ! But one ^''" of the men got quietly to the bell, and when lings'' the footmen came they grasped the situa- tion and brought some clean things, so tea finished better than it had begun. Just before they went to dress Lady Theodosia remembered to introduce them. The only young one is Mr. Roper, the great shot, and the other two are Sir Augustus Grant and Captain Fieldin ; they are oldish. When they had gone. Lady Theodosia said to me that men were a great nuisance as a rule, but that she had a pet friend, a " dear docile creature, so useful with the dogs,'' and he was coming back by the 6.30 train. You would have laughed, if you could have seen him when he did arrive ! A fair humble thing, with a squeaky voice and obsequious manners. He had been up to town to get the dogs new muzzles, as the muzzling order has just been put in force in this county. It appears Lady Theodosia has him always here, and he attends to the dogs for a home, but I would rather be a stable-boy, would n't you. Mamma? His name is Frederick 212 R E T B Y Harrington, and Lady Theodosia calls him Feeding " Frederick " when she is pleased, and " Har- ^^f /^^°- rington *' if anything puts her out. And ^^^ as she says it, " Harrington " sounds the fattest word you ever heard. I was glad to get to my room ! Most of the house that I have yet seen, which was not refurnished when she mar- ried in 1870, is really fine, with beautiful old furniture and china ; only everything within reach is scratched and spoilt by the " children." It must make the family por- traits turn in their frames to see Fluff eating one of their tapestry footstools, or the cats clawing the Venetian velvet chairs. There was a dinner party in the evening. As we went upstairs to dress, Lady Theo- dosia told me about it. She said she was obliged to entertain all the Aborigines twice a year, and that most people gave them garden parties ; but she found that too fatiguing, so she had two dinners in the shooting season, and two at Easter, to which she asked every one. She just puts all their names in a bag, and counts out twelve couples for each party, and then she THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Feeding makes up the number to thirty-six with the Abo- Q^j creatures, daughters and old maids, rigines and sons and curates, &c., and she finds it a capital plan. She said, " I give *em plenty to eat and drink, and they draw for partners, and all go home as happy as pos- sible feeling there has been no favouritism ! " She explained that the lawyers and doctors enjoyed having their food with the earls and baronets much more than just prancing about lawns. And when I asked her how the earls and baronets liked it, she said there were only three or four, and they had to put up with it or stay at home ; she had done it now for thirty years, and they were accustomed to it ; besides, she had the best chef in England, and any- way it was a nice change for people not knowing who they were going to be put next to. It took her such a long time to tell me all this, and to see me to my room, that I was almost late, and she did not get into the state drawing-room until all the guests had arrived. You never saw anything so funny as it was. Mamma. Mr. Doran was trying to be polite 214 R E T B Y to the odd collection, evidently not quite Drawing knowing which was which. Old Lord and-^'^ Lady Devnant were glaring at the rest of the company from the hearth-rug, with a look of " You invade this mat at your peril ! ** Sir Christopher Harford paying extrava- gant compliments to the parson's wife (I knew which they were because I heard them announced), and the " Squire '* and Mrs. de Lacy — who came over with the Con- queror — standing apart with their skinny daughters, all holding their noses in the air. Everybody seemed to be in their best clothes, and most of the women had flowers and tulle or little black feathers sticking up in their hair, and bare red arms, and skirts inches off the ground in front; you know the look. But everything seemed to be going beautifully after Lady Theo- dosia rolled in (she does not walk, like ordinary people)! Mr. Doran did the handing round of the drawing-papers, and they were " Marshall and Snelgrove," and " Lewis and Allenby," and " Debenham and Freebody," &c., and if you drew " Lewis " you went in with 215 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Drawing whoever drew " Allenby," and so on ; it ^ was a capital plan, only for one incident. I was near Lady Theodosia when Mr. Har- rington rushed from the other end of the room, and whispered to her in an agitated voice that the " Dickens '' of Lady Devnant's " Jones " was Dr. Pluffield. She was not on speaking terms with him, having quar- relled with him for sending her teething powders by mistake, when it ought to have been something for her nerves. All Lady Theodosia said was — " Harrington, you 're a fool. What are their little differences to me ? I give *em the best dinner in England, and they must settle the rest themselves ! '' So poor Mr. Harrington had to go back and smooth down Lady Devnant as best he could ; and presently we all started for the banqueting-hall. There were several really decent county people there, of course, but they all looked much the same as the others, except that they had diamonds on. Old Admiral Brudnell, who has a crimson face, was taking in the younger Miss de Lacy, and just in front of him were 216 R E T B Y Dr. Pluffield and Lady Devnant, whom the Marshall Admiral hates. I heard him say, getting ^'^^^ 11-1 1 1 1 ^r r^ J c? o bnelgrove purple like a gobbler, Come on, come on, I don't mean to let that old catamaran get in front of me ! " And he dragged Miss de Lacy through the doorway, bumping the others to get past ; and she told me afterwards her funny-bone had got such a knock that she could hardly hold her soup spoon ! It was quainter even than the frumps' dinner that Godmamma gave. I had a very nervous young man with red hair and glasses to take me in ; I drew " Snelgrove," so he was " Marshall." He evidently had not understood a bit about the drawing, and kept calling me " Miss Snelgrove,'* until I was obliged to say to him, " But my name is not Snelgrove any more than yours is Marshall." " But my name is Marshall," he said, " and I was told to find a lady of the name of * Snelgrove,' and I wondered at the strange coincidence." He looked so dreadfully distressed that I had to explain to him ; and he got so 217 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Marshall nervous at his mistake that he hardly spoke ^^^^ for the rest of dinner. bnelgrove ^t>i j- i 1 he dishes were exquisite, and Lady Theodosia enjoyed them all, in spite of " Fanny " (that is the Spitz) constantly falHng off her lap, and having to be fished for by her own footman, who always stands behind her chair, ready for these emergencies. I call it very plucky of the dog to go on trying ; for what lap Lady Theodosia has is so steep it must be like trying to sleep on the dome of St. Paul's. Mr. Roper sat at my other side, and after a while he talked to me ; he said he came every year to shoot partridges, and it was always the same. On the night he arrived there was always this dinner party, and some years the most absurd things had happened, but Lady Theodosia did not care a button. He thought there were a good many advantages in being a Duke's daughter ; they don't dare to offend her, he said, although they are ready to tear one another's eyes out when they are put with the wrong people. Lady Theodosia puffed a good deal as dinner 218 R E T B Y went on, I could hear her from where I 4fur sat. She is in slight mourning, so below ^^^^^^ her diamond necklace — which is magnificent, but has not been cleaned for years — she had a set of five lockets, on a chain all made of bog oak, and afterwards I found each locket had a portrait of some pet animal who is dead in it, and a piece of its hair. You would never guess that she is Lady Cecilia's sister, except for the bulgy eyes. Towards the end of dinner Mr. Doran got so gay, he talked and laughed so you would not "have recognised him, as ordinarily he is a timid little thing. When we returned to the great drawing- room, it was really comic. Lady Theodosia did not make any pretence of talking to the people. Her whole attention was with the " children," who had just been let loose from her boudoir, where her maid had been keeping them company while we dined. They were as jealous as possible of Fanny, who never leaves any part of Lady Theodosia she can stick on to. She is so small that she gets 219 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH 4f^er lots of nice rides asleep on the folds of Dinner }^^^ velvet train. Most of the company were terrified at this avalanche of dogs, and kept saying, when they came and sniffed and barked at them, " poor doggie," " nice doggie,'* " good doggie," etc., in different keys of nervousness. I felt glad Agnes had insisted that I should not put on one of my test dresses. She highly disapproves of this place. As well spend the time in the Jardin des Plantes with the cage doors undone, she says ! Now and then, when Lady Theodosia could bring herself to remember she had a party, she would make a dash at some one, and as likely as not call them by a wrong name. Lady Devnant and Mrs. de Lacy and the few more county people made a little ring with her by themselves, and gradually the doctors', and parsons', and lawyers' families got together, and so things settled down, and we were getting on quite nicely when the men came in. It did all seem queer after the ex- treme ceremony and politeness in France. When she had fed them. Lady Theodosia 220 R E T B Y seemed to think her duty to her guests Settling had ended. ^^^'^ Mr. Doran was still as gay as possible, and insisted upon Mrs. Pluffield singing ; it was a love-and-tombstone kind of song, and sounded so silly and old-fashioned. And after that lots of people had to sing, and I felt so sorry for them ; but soon their carriages came, and they were able to go home ; if I were they nothing would induce me to come again. I got up early to write this as the post goes at an unearthly hour, so now I must go down to breakfast. — Good-bye, dear Mamma, your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. Retby, September 22nd. Dearest Mamma, — I was surprised yesterday when I got down to breakfast to find Lady Theodosia already there. She is awfully active, and puffs about everywhere like a steam-engine. She will THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Settling pour out the tea and coffee herself, and Down there is just the one long table, not a lot of little ones like at Nazeby ; but our party is quite small, the four other guns were to come from the neighbourhood. Lady Theodosia asks you if you take sugar and cream, and then perhaps a dog takes off her attention, and as likely as not, when she remembers the pouring out, you get just what you have said you don't take. I wonder she does not leave it to the servants. Mr. Doran was as quiet as a mouse, and said he had a bad headache. The three other men had enormous breakfasts, and did not speak much, except that Captain Fieldin asked if we were not coming out to lunch ; and Lady Theodosia said of course we were — she intended to drive me in her pony carriage. When they had all started, she took me back to the boudoir, as it was a Wednesday, and the state apart- ments were on show, and she hates meeting the tourists from Bradford. I think it must be dreadful having to let everybody look through your home, just because you 222 RETRY have fine pictures, and it is historical, and a A Show prince got murdered there a hundred years ago. Mr. Doran inherited it through his mother, 1 think you said, as there are no Lord Retbys left. I went to get the photograph of you I always have on my dressing-table, to show it to Lady Theodosia, and I met quite a troop of tourists on the stairs, and all the place railed off with fat red cords, and everything being explained to them by a guide who has the appearance of a very haughty butler, and lives here just to do this, and look after the things. The tourists stared at me because I was inside the rope, just as if I had been a Royalty, and whispered and nudged one another, and one said, " Is that Lady Theodosia ? ** and I felt inclined to call out " No, not by twelve stone." It was funny seeing them. The housekeeper hates it ; she says it takes six housemaids the rest of the day removing their traces, and getting rid of the smell. And as for the Bank Holiday ones, they have no respect for the house at all. Lady Theodosia told me the 223 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A Show housekeeper came to her nearly weeping Place ^f^gj. |.j^g i^st one. " Oh, my lady," she said, " they treats us as if we was ruins ^ Mr. Harrington had not been allowed to shoot, because the St. Bernard and Fluff hated their muzzles so, when they were tried on, that he had to go in to the local harness-maker and have them altered under his own eye. He got back just as we were starting for lunch, and Lady Theodosia made him come with us, and sent the groom on with the lunch carts. She drives one of those old-fashioned, very low pony- shays, with a seat up behind for the groom, and two such ducks of ponies. There hardly seemed room for me beside her, and the springs seemed dreadfully down on her side. She generally sits in the middle when alone, Mr. Harrington told me after- wards. She noticed about the springs her- self, and said, " Frederick, you must lean all your weight on the other side." We must have looked odd going along; I squashed in beside her with a poodle and Fanny at my feet, and poor Mr. Harrington clinging to one side like grim death, so as 224 R E T B Y to try and get the balance more level. It Mr Philan- seemed quite a long drive, and lunch was ^°^^^ ^ laid out on a trestle table in a farmhouse f^oty garden, and was a splendid repast, with hot entreesy and Lady Theodosia had some of them all. It appears Captain Fieldinand Sir Augustus Grant are constantly staying here ; they help to ride Mr. Doran's horses and shoot his birds. They are all old friends, and rather hard up, so Mr. Doran just keeps them. He — Mr. Doran — seems different after meals ; from being as quiet as a lamb, he gets quite coarse and blunt. The rest of the party were just the kind of neighbours that always come to shoot. Mr. Roper told me they never have smart parties, with only the best shots, and heaps of beautiful ladies. Mr. Doran asks just any one he likes, or he happens to meet, and the shooting is some of the best in England, and awfully well preserved. Lady Theodosia had a very short tweed skirt on, a black velvet jacket with bugles, and a boat-shaped hat and cocks* feathers ; but she always wears the black velvet band IS 225 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Mr, round her forehead. Her ankles seemed ^^nzw'j to be falling over the tops of her boots, throty ^^^ ^^ ^^^ only walked from the carriage to the lunch table, I don't think her skirt need have been so short ; do you. Mamma ? But although she was got up like an old gipsy you could not help seeing through it all that she really is well-bred ; I don't think even Agnes would dare to be uppish with her. They live here at Retby all the year round. The town house is only opened for three days, when Lady Theodosia comes up for the Drawing-room. And they seem to have a lot of these rather dull, oldish men friends who make long visits. Going home after lunch Lady Theo- dosia took several of the pies and joints to poor people in the cottages near, and she was so nice to them, and so friendly ; she knows them all and all their affairs, and never makes mistakes with their names, or is rude and discourteous as she was to the people at the dinner party. They all adore her. She hates the middle classes, she says, she would like to live in Russia, where there are only the upper and lower. 226 RETRY When we got back, Lord and Lady Tyne- Croquet ville had arrived with their two daughters. ^.^^ They are about my age, and quite nice and ^y^^ pretty ; but their mother dresses them so queerly, they look rather guys. I am glad, Mamma, that you have none of those silly ideas, and that I have not got to have my hair in a large bun with ribbons twisted in it for dinner. They seem quite accustomed to stay here, and know all the dogs and their ways. They are much nicer than French girls, but not so attractive as Miss La Touche. We had an early tea in the hall, and after tea we played croquet until it got dark, though one could not get on very well as the dogs constantly carried off the balls in their mouths, and one had to guess where to put them back, and in that way Lady Theodosia, who was my partner, managed to get through three hoops she would n*t have otherwise. It is n*t much fun playing so late in the year, as it gets so cold. I think the elder Miss Everleigh is in love with Mr. Roper, because she blushed, just as they do in books, when he came in, and from being quiet and nice, got rather 227 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Croquet gigglish. I hope I shan't do that when I ""^f' am in love. ties ^^ ^^^ quite a gay dinner ; Lady Tyne- ville talks all the time, and says such funny things. I am really enjoying myself very much in spite of there being no excitements, like the Marquis and the Vicomte. To-day we are going to make an excursion into Hern- minster to see the Cathedral, and to-mor- row they shoot again. — Good-bye, dear Mamma, with love from your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. Retby, Thursday. Dearest Mamma, — I don't think I care about looking at churches much. They don't smell here as they do in France, but on the other hand they look deserted, and as if no one cared a pin, and there are generally repairs going on or monuments piled up at the side waiting to be put back or something that does n't look tidy — in the big ones I mean, like York and 228 RETRY Hernminster that we saw yesterday. Mr. ^n Doran drove us in on the coach, and Lady ^^^^^^^^ Theodosia sat on the box beside him. It was too wonderful to see her climbing up, and from the near side she completely hid Mr. Doran ; the reins looked as if they were staying up by themselves, you could not see even his hands, her mountainous outline blocked all the space. Miss Ever- leigh and Mr. Roper and I and Sir Au- gustus sat in the seat behind the box seat, and the other Everleigh sat with her father in the back, while Mr. Harrington had to go inside with Lady Tyneville as she was afraid of the cold wind. They must have had a nice time, for both poodles were in there too, and one terrier, and we could hear them barking constantly. Fanny, who has a wonderful sense of balance, was poised somewhere on Lady Theodosia. The horses are beauties and we went at a splendid pace. Sir Augustus doesn't seem so old when he is sitting by you ; he said a lot of nice things to me. We went straight to the " Red Lion " and had lunch, and it was 229 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH An a horrid meal, everything over or under- Agreeahle ^^^^^ ^nd messy and nasty. The dinner at a teeny place like Caudebec in France was delicious. I wonder why food at country hotels in England is so bad ? At Retby Lady Theodosia won't touch any- thing unless it is absolutely perfect. She sent a dish away yesterday just because a whifF of some flavouring she does not like came to her, but at the " Red Lion " she did not grumble at all ; it must be for the same reason that wetting their feet does n't give French people cold if it is at a national sport, that made her put up with the lunch because it was EngHsh and had always been the same. I was glad to have a nice piece of cheese. All the time I was with Godmamma I was not allowed to, as it is n't considered proper for girls there, and when I asked Victorine why one day, she told me it gave ideas, and was too exciting, whatever that could mean. So at the " Red Lion " I just had two helpings to see, as this is the first chance I have had, as you don't care for cheese at home. But nothing happened, I did not 230 RETRY feel at all excited, so it must be because Country they are French. Mustn't it? Shopping First we went to a curiosity shop before going to the Cathedral, and there was such an odd man owned it. "My good Grigg- son,'' Lady Theodosia called him ; he seemed quite pleased — although we none of us bought anything — and so friendly with Lady Theodosia. When we had finished trotting about looking at the old streets and the Cathedral, we went to buy some mauve silk to line a cushion that Lady Tyneville has embroidered as a present to Lady Theodosia. It is so funny in these country shops, they always bring you what you don't want. Lady Tyneville said she wanted mauve, and showed her pattern, and after some time the girl who served her came back and said, " Oh ! we are out of mauve, but green is being very much worn." We went back to the " Red Lion " and Mr. Doran and Captain Fieldin joined us. They had been at the Club all the time, and were full of local news about the cub hunting, &c. On the way back to Retby 231 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Country Sir Augustus told me he was struck with Shopping j^g ^j^g moment he came into Lady Theodosia's boudoir, and he tried to take hold of my hand. I call it very queer, don't you ? I suppose it is because they think I am young and want encouraging, but I simply detest it, and I told him so. I said, "Why should you want to hold my hand ? " and when he looked fooHsh and mumbled some answer, I just said, " Because if you are afraid of falling, and it is to hold on, there is the outside rail of the coach for you ; I hate being pawed." He said I was a disagreeable little thing, and would never get on in life. But you can see. Mamma, how everything has changed since you were young. Lady Theodosia put on such a splendid purple brocade tea-gown for tea, but Fluff would jump up at the tray, and succeeded at last in upsetting a whole jug of cream over her. She was sitting in a very low chair that it is difficult to get out of, and she looked quite piteous with billows of cream rolling off her ; it got into Fanny *s nose and made her sneeze, and that annoyed 232 RETRY the other dogs, and they all began to fight, Mr, and the St. Bernard joined in, and in his ^^J'^^^g- excitement he overturned the whole table p^j^if and tray. You never saw such a catas- trophe ! The dogs got quite wild with joy, and left off fighting to gobble cakes, and when Mr. Harrington, who had been away writing letters, rushed in to see what the commotion was, he did catch it ! We extricated Lady Theodosia from masses of broken china and dribbles of jam, in the most awful rage. She said it was entirely Mr. Harrington's fault for not being there to look after the dogs. Considering she had sent him to write about their muzzles, I do call it hard, don't you ? Mr. Doran came in, and when he saw the best Crown Derby smashed on the floor, and the teapot all bent, he became quite transformed, and swore dreadfully. He said such rude words. Mamma, that I cannot even write them, and it ended up with, " If you keep a d d puppy to look after your other d d puppies, why the devil don't you see he does it ! " I hope you are n't awfully shocked, 233 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Mr. Mamma, at me writing that ; I was obliged Harring- ^^^ ^^ show you what awful creatures men Fault really are underneath, even if their outsides look as meek as Mr. Doran's. Lady Theo- dosia burst into tears, and it was altogether a fearful scene if it had not been so funny to look at. We none of us got any tea, for by the time Lady Theodosia had been got to dry her eyes, and things were cleared up, we were all only too glad to disperse. I am sure a lot of children could not be so naughty as these dogs are. Dinner began by being rather strained, but gradually got quite gay. Mr. Doran would have up three different brands of champagne for every one to try, and the men seemed to like them very much. By dessert everything was lively again, and dinner ended by Mr. Doran singing " The hounds of the Meynell," with one foot on the table as gay as a lark. But was n't it tiresome. Mamma? when we got into the drawing- room. Lady Theodosia said we had had a long day, and must be tired, and she packed the two Everleighs and me off to bed be- fore the men came in, and so here I am 234 R E T B Y writing to you, because it is ridiculous to A suppose I am going to sleep at this hour, v* . ''^ Agnes and I leave by the early train on ^^^^ Saturday morning, so good-bye till then, dear Mamma ; love from your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. 235 Carriston "Towers CARRISTON TOWERS Carriston Towers, 2yth October, DEAREST MAMMA, — I shall Carriston , Towers never again arrive at a place at three o'clock in the afternoon ; it is perfectly ghastly ! As we drove up to the door — it was pouring with rain — I felt that I should not like anything here. It does look such a large grey pile ; and how cold and draughty that immense stone hall must be in winter ! There were no nice big sofas about, or palms, or lots of papers and books ; nothing but suits of armour and great marble tables, looking like monuments. I was taken down end- less passages to the library, and there left such a long time that I had got down an old Punch and was looking at it, and trying to warm my feet, when Lady Carriston came in with Adeline. I remember how I hated 239 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Carriston playing with her years ago ; she always lowers patronised me, being three years older, and she is just the same now, only both their backs hav^e got longer and their noses more arched, and they are the image of each other. Adeline seems very suppressed ; Lady Carriston does not — her face is carved out of stone. They look very well bred and respectable, and badly dressed ; nothing rustled nicely when they walked, and they had not their nails polished, or scent on, or anything like that; but Lady Carriston had a splendid row of pearls round her throat, on the top of her rough tweed dress and linen collar. They pronounce their words very dis- tinctly, in an elevated kind of way, and you feel as if icicles were trickling down your back, and you can't think of a thing to say. When we had got to the end of your neuralgia and my journey, there was such a pause ! and I suppose they thought I was an idiot, and were only too glad to get me off to my room, where Adeline took me, and left me, hoping I had everything I wanted, and saying tea was at five in the 240 CARRISTON TOWERS blue drawing-room. And there I had to ^ Dull stay while Agnes unpacked. It was dull ! °^^ It is a big room, and the fire had only just been lit. The furniture is colourless and ugly, and, although it is all comfortable and correct, there are no books about, ex- cept "Romola'' and " Middlemarch " and some Carlyle and John Stuart Mill, and I did not feel that I could do with any of that just then. So there I sat twiddling my thumbs for more than an hour, and Agnes did make such a noise, opening and shutting drawers, but at last I remembered a box of caramels in my dressing-bag, and it was better after that. Agnes had put out my white cashmere for tea, and at five I started to find my way to the blue drawing-room. The bannisters are so broad and slippery — the very things for sliding on. I feel as if I should start down them one day, just to astonish Ade- line, only I promised you I would be good. Well, when I got to the drawing-room, the party — about twelve — had assembled. The old Earl had been wheeled in from his rooms : he wears a black velvet skull-cap and a stock i6 24 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A Dull but he has a splendid and distinguished old ^^^^ face. If I were he, I would not have such a dull daughter-in-law to live with me as Lady Carriston is, even if my son was dead. The boy, Charlie Carriston, was there too ; he does look a goose. He is like those pic- tures in the Punch that I was looking at, where the family is so old that their chins and foreheads have gone. He is awfully afraid of his mother. There were two or three elderly pepper-and-salt men, and that Trench cousin, who is a very High Church curate (you know Aunt Mary told us about him), and there are a Sir Samuel and Lady Garnons, with an old maid daughter, and Adeline's German governess, who has stayed on as companion, and helped to pour out the tea. The conversation was subdued; about politics and Cabinet Ministers, and phea- sants and foxes, and things of that kind, and no one said anything that meant any- thing else, as they did at Nazeby, or were witty like they were at Tournelle, and the German governess said " Ach " to every- thing, and Lady Garnons and Miss Gar- CARRISTON TOWERS nons knitted all the time, which gave their A voices the sound of " one-two-three '' when ^°^^^Jf they spoke, although they did not really ^^^ count. No one had on tea-gowns — just a Sunday sort of clothes. I don't know how we should have got through tea if the coffee-cream cakes had not been so good. The old Earl called me to him when he had finished, and talked so beautifully to me; he paid me some such grand old- fashioned compliments, and his voice sounds as if he had learnt elocution in his youth. There is not a word of slang or anything modern ; one quite understands how he was able to wake up the House of Lords before his legs gave way. It seems sad that such a ninny as Charlie should succeed him. I feel proud of being related to him, but I shall never think of Lady Carriston ex- cept as a distant cousin. Both Charlie and Adeline are so afraid of her that they hardly speak. I shan't waste any of my best frocks here, so I made Agnes put me on the old blue silk for the evening. She was dis- gusted. 243 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH ^ At dinner I sat between Charlie and ^^"^^^^ one of the pepper-and-salts — he is a M.P. j^;j They are going to shoot partridges to- morrow ; and I don't know what we shall do, as there has been no suggestion of our going out to lunch. After dinner we sat in the yellow draw- ing-room ; Lady Carriston and Lady Garnons talked in quite an animated way together about using their personal influ- ence to suppress all signs of Romanism in the services of the Church. They seemed to think they would have no difficulty in stopping it. They are both Low Church, Miss Garnons told me, but she her- self held quite different views. Then she asked me if I did not think the Reverend Ernest Trench had a " soulful face,'* so pure and abstracted that merely looking at him gave thoughts of a higher life. I said No ; he reminded me of a white ferret we had once, and I hated curates. She looked perfectly sick at me and did not take the trouble to talk any more, but joined Adeline, who had been winding silk with Fraulein Schlarbaum for a tie she is 244 CARRISTON TOWERS knitting. So I tried to read the Contem- The porary Review^ but I could not help hear- ^^/^^ ^ ing Lady Carriston telling Lady Garnons that she had always brought up Adeline and Charlie so carefully that she knew their inmost thoughts. (She did not mention Cyril, who is still at Eton.) "Yes, I assure you, Georgina," she said, " my dear children have never had a secret from me in their innocent lives." When the men came in from the dining- room, one of the old fellows came and talked to me, and I discovered he is the Duke of Lancashire. He is ordinary look- ing, and his shirts fit so badly — that nasty sticking-out look at the sides, and not enough starch. I would not have shirts that did not fit if I were a Duke, would you? They are all staying here for the Conservative meeting to-morrow evening at Barchurch. These three pepper-and-salts are shining lights in this county, I have gathered. Lady Carriston seems very well informed on every subject. It does not matter if she is talking to Mr. Haselton or Sir Andrew Merton, (the two M.P.'s), or 24s THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The the Duke, who is the M.F.H., or the Duke s curate ; she seems to know much more about politics, and hunting, and religion than they do. It is no wonder she can see her children's thoughts ! At half-past ten we all said good-night. The dear old Earl does not come in from the dining-room ; he is wheeled straight to his rooms, so I did not see him. Miss Gar- nons and Adeline both looked as if they could hardly bear to part with their curate, and finally we got upstairs, and now I must go to bed. — Best love, from your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. P.S. — Everything is kept up with great state here ; there seems to be a footman behind every one's chair at dinner. 246 CARRISTON TOWERS Carriston Towers, 28th October, Dearest Mamma, — I was so afraid of Charlie's Dissin lation being late for breakfast this morning that ^'^^^^« I was down quite ten minutes too soon, and when I got into the breakfast-room I found Charlie alone, mixing himself a brandy cocktail. He wanted to kiss me, because he said we were cousins, but I did not like the smell of the brandy, so I would not let him. He made me pro- mise that I would come out with him after breakfast, before they started to shoot, to look at his horses; then we heard some one coming, and he whisked the cocktail glass out of sight in the neatest way pos- sible. At breakfast he just nibbled a bit of toast, and drank a glass of milk, and Lady Carriston kept saying to him, " My dear, dear boy, you have no appetite," and he said, " No, having to read so hard as he did at night took it away." The Duke seemed a little annoyed that there was not a particular chutney in his curried kidneys, which I thought very rude 247 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Charlie's in another person's house ; and, as it was fJtim''' Friday, the Reverend Mr. Trench refused every dish in a loud voice, and then helped himself to a whole sole at the side- table. The food was lovely. Miss Garnons did not eat a thing, and Lady Garnons was not down ; nor, of course, the old Earl. After breakfast we meandered into the hall. Smoking is not allowed anywhere except in the billiard-room, which is down yards and yards of passages, so as not to let the smell get into the house. We seemed to be standing about doing nothing, so I said I would go up and get my boots on, or probably there would not be time to go with Charlie to see his horses before they started. You should have seen the family's three faces ! Charlie's silly jaw dropped, Ade- line's eyebrows ran up to her hair almost, while Lady Carriston said in an icy voice : " We had not thought of visiting the stables so early." Did you ever hear of any thing so ridiculous. Mamma ? Just as though I had said some- 248 CARRISTON TOWERS thing improper ! I was furious with Charlie, Th^ he had not even the pluck to say he had d'^ ^ . raper asked me to go; but I paid him out. I just said, " I concluded you had consulted Lady Carriston before asking me to go with you, or naturally I should not have suggested going to get ready." He did look a stupid thing, and bolted at once ; but Lady Carriston saw I was not going to be snubbed, so she became more polite, and presently asked me to come and see the aviary with her. As we walked down the armour gallery she met a servant with a telegram, and while she stopped to read it I looked out of one of the windows. The wall is so thick they are all in recesses, and Charlie passed underneath, his head just level with the open part. The moment he saw me he fished out a scrap of paper from his pocket and pressed it into my hand, and said, " Don't be a mug this time,'* and was gone before I could do anything. I did not know what to do with the paper, so I had to slip it up my sleeve, as with these skirts one has n't a pocket, and I did 249 Pap. THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The feel so mad at having done a thing in ^^'If that underhand way. The aviary is such a wonderful place, there seem to be birds of every kind, and the parra- keets do make such a noise. There are lots of palms here and seats, but it is not just an ideal place to stay and talk in, as every creature screams so that you can hardly hear yourself speak. However, Miss Garnons and Mr. Trench did not seem to think so, as, while Lady Carriston stopped to say, " Didysy, woodsie, poppsie, dicksie," to some canaries, I turned a corner to see some owls, and there found them holding hands and kissing (the White Ferret and Miss Garnons I mean, of course, not the owls). They must have come in at the other door, and the parrots' noises had pre- vented them from hearing us coming. You never saw two people so taken aback. They simply jumped away from one another. Mr. Trench got crimson up to his white eyelashes, and coughed in a nervous way, while poor Miss Garnons at once talked nineteen to the dozen about the "darling little owlies," and never let 250 CARRISTON TOWERS go my arm until she had got me aside. The My s- when she at once began explaining; that she ^f^^f/ y J T 1 J ^ . . ^ , . Religion hoped 1 would not mismterpret anythmg I had seen ; that of course it might look odd to one who did not understand the higher life, but there were mysteries con- nected with her religion, and she hoped I would say nothing about it. I said she need not worry herself She is quite twenty-eight, you know. Mamma, so I sup- pose she knows best ; but I should hate a religion that obliged me to kiss White Ferret curates in a parrot-house, should n't you? Lady Carriston detests Mr. Trench, but as he is a cousin she has to be fairly civil to him, and they always get on to ecclesias- tical subjects and argue when they speak ; it is the greatest fun to hear them. They walked on ahead and left me with Miss Garnons until we got back to the hall. By this time the guns had all started, so we saw no more of them. Then Adeline suggested that she and I should bicycle in the Park, which has miles of lovely road (she is not allowed out of the gates by 251 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The Mys- herself), so at last I got up to my room, teries of ^^^ there, as I was ringing the bell for Agnes, Charlie's piece of paper fell out on the floor. I had forgotten all about it. Was n't it a mercy it did not drop while I was with Lady Carriston? This was all it was : " Come down to tea half-an-hour earlier ; shall sham a hurt wrist to be back from shooting in time. CharHe." I could not help laughing, although I was cross at his impertinence — in taking for granted that I would be quite ready to do whatever he wished. I threw it in the fire, and, of course, I shan't go down a moment before five. Adeline has just been in to see why I am so long getting ready. — Good-bye, dear Mamma, love from your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. 252 CARRISTON TOWERS Carriston Towers, Saturday. Dear Mamma, — Oh ! what a long ^n day this has been ! But I always get so -^"^^.^^ muddled if I don't go straight on, that I had better finish telling you about Friday first. Well, while Adeline and I were bicycling, she told me she thought I should grow quite pretty if only my hair was arranged more like hers — she has a jug-handle chignon — and if I had less of that French look. But she supposed I could not help it, having had to spend so much time abroad. She said I should find life was full of tempta- tions, if I had not an anchor, I asked her what that was, and she said it was some- thing on which to cast one's soul. I don't see how that could be an anchor — do you. Mamma ? because it is the anchor that gets cast, is n't it ? However, she assured me that it was, so I asked her if she had one herself, and she said she had, and it was her great reverence for Mr. Trench, and they were secretly engaged ! and she hoped I would not mention it to anybody ; 253 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH An and presently, when he joined us, would I Anchor ^li^d riding on, as she had so few chances in Life to talk to him ? That she would not for the world deceive her mother, but there were mysteries connected with her religion which Lady Carriston could not under- stand, being only Low Church. But when they saw a prospect of getting married they would tell her about it ; if they did it now, she would persuade the Duke not to give Mr. Trench the Bellestoke living, which he has half promised him, and so make it impossible for them to marry. I asked her if Mr. Trench was Miss Garnons' anchor too ? and she seemed quite annoyed, so I suppose their religion has heaps of different mysteries ; but I don*t see what all that has got to do with telling her mother, do you ? And I should rather turn Low Church than have to kiss Mr. Trench, anyway. He came from a side path and joined us, and as soon as I could I left them ; but they picked me up again by the inner gate, just as I was going in to lunch, after having had a beautiful ride. The Park is magnificent. 254 CARRISTON TOWERS At lunch I sat by the old Earl. He Putting said my hair was a sunbeam's home, and °lj^ f that my nose was fit for a cameo ; he is perfectly charming. Afterwards we went en bloc to the library, and the Garnons be- gan to knit again. Nobody says a word about clothes ; they talked about the Girls' Friendly Society, and the Idiot Asylum, and the Flannel Union, and Higher Education, and whenever Lady Garnons mentions any one that Lady Carriston does not know all about, she always says, " Oh ! and who was she ? " And then, after thoroughly sifting it, if she finds that the person in question does not belong to any of the branches of the family that she is acquainted with, she says " Society is getting very mixed now." Presently about six more people arrived. There seems to be nothing but these ghastly three o'clock trains here. All the new lot were affected by it, just as I was. There were endless pauses. I would much rather scream at Aunt Maria for a whole afternoon than have to spend it with Lady Carriston. I am sure she and Godmamma would be the greatest 255 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Putting friends if they could meet. When I got on the Clock up to my room I was astonished to find it was so late. I had not even scrambled into my clothes when the clock struck five. I had forgotten all about Charlie and his scrap of paper, but when I got into the blue drawing-room, there he was, with his wrist bandaged up, and no signs of tea about. What do you think the horrid boy had done. Mamma ? Actually had the big gold clock in my room put on ! There were ten chances to one, he said, against my looking at my watch, and he knew I would not come down unless I thought it was ^YQ, I was so cross that I wanted to go upstairs again, but he would not let me ; he stood in front of the door, and there was no good making a fuss, so I sat down by the fire. He said he had seen last night how struck his Grandfather had been with me, and he did want me to get round him, as he had got into an awful mess, and had not an idea how he was going to get out of it, unless I helped him. I said I was sorry, but I really did not see how I could do 256 CARRISTON TOWERS anything, and that he had better tell his Cora's Mother, as she adored him. Necklace He simply jumped with horror at the idea of telling his Mother. " Good Lord ! " he said, " the old girl would murder me,'* which I did not think very respectful of him. Then he fidgeted, and humm'd and haw'd for such a time that tea had begun to come in before I could understand the least bit what the mess was ; but it was something about a Cora de la Haye, who dances at the Empire, and a diamond neck- lace, and how he was madly in love with her, and intended to marry her, but he had lost such a lot of money at Goodwood, that no one knew about, as he was sup- posed not to have been there, that he could not pay for the necklace unless his grand- father gave him a lump sum to pay his debts at Oxford with, and that what he wanted was for me to get round the old Earl to give him this money, and then he could pay for Cora de la Haye's necklace. He showed me her photo, which he keeps in his pocket. It is just like the ones in the shops in the Rue de Rivoli 17 257 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Corals that Mademoiselle never would let me stop Necklace ^^^ \o6k at in Paris. I am sure Lady Carriston can't have been having second sight into her children's thoughts lately ! Just then Lady Garnons and some of the new people came in, and he was obliged to stop. We had a kind of high tea, as the Conservative meeting was to be at eight, and it is three-quarters of an hour's drive into Barchurch, and there was to be a big supper after. Lady Carriston did make such a fuss over Charlie's wrist. She wanted to know was it badly sprained, and did it ache much, and was it swollen, and he had the impudence to let her almost cry over him, and pretended to wince when she touched it ! As we were driving in to the meeting he sat next me in the omni- bus, and kept squeezing my arm all the time under the rug, which did annoy me so, that at last I gave his ankle a nasty kick, and then he left off for a little. He has not the ways of a gentleman, and I think he had better marry his Cora, and settle down into a class more suited to him than ours ; but / shan't help him with his Grandfather. CARRISTON TOWERS Have you ever been to a political meeting, Politics dear Mamma ? It is funny ! All these old ^"^ . gentlemen sit up on a platform and talk such a lot. The Duke put in " buts " and " ifs " and " thats " over and over again when he could not think of a word, and you were n*t a bit the wiser when he had finished, except that it was awfully wrong to put up barbed wire ; but I can't see what that has to do with politics, can you ? One of the pepper-and-salts did speak nicely, and so did one of the new people — quite a youngish person ; but they all had such a lot of words, when it would have done just as well if they had simply said that of course our side was the right one — because trade was good when we were in, and that there are much better people Conservatives than Radicals. Anyway, no one stays a Radical when he gets to be his own father, as it would be absurd to cut off one's nose to spite one's face — don't you think so, Mamma ? So it is nonsense talking so much. One or two rude people in the back called out things, but no one paid any attention ; 259 Principle THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Politics and at last, after lots of cheering, we got ^ . .^j into the omnibus again. I was hungry. At supper we sat more or less anyhow, and I happened to be next the youngish person who spoke. I don't know his name, but I know he wasn't any one very grand, as Lady Carriston said, before they arrived in the afternoon, that things were changing dreadfully ; that even the Conservative party was being invaded by people of no family ; and she gave him two fingers when she said "How d'ye do?" But if he is nobody, I call it very nice of him to be a Conservative, and then he won't have to change afterwards when he gets high up. The old Earl asked me what I thought of it all, so I told him ; and he said that it was a great pity they could not have me at the head of affairs, and then things would be arranged on a really simple and satisfactory basis. After breakfast this morning most of the new people went, and the Duke and the pepper-and-salts; Lady Carriston drove Lady Garnons over to see her Idiot Asylum. They were to lunch near there, so we had our food in peace without them, and you 260 CARRISTON TOWERS would not believe the difference there was ! ^ Good Everyone woke up: Old Sir Samuel Garnons, ^^^^^^^^«^ who had not spoken once that I heard since I came, joked with Fraulein Schlarbaum. Charlie had two brandies-and-sodas instead of his usual glass of milk, and Adeline and Miss Garnons were able to gaze at their anchor without fear. This afternoon I have been for a ride with Charlie, and do you know. Mamma, I believe he is trying to make love to me, but it is all in such horrid slang that I am not quite sure. I must stop now. — With love, from your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. P. 6*. — Sunday. I missed the post last night. We did spend a boring evening doing nothing, not even dummy whist, like at Aunt Maria's, and I was so tired hearing the two old ladies talking over the idiots they had seen at the Asylum, that I was thankful when half-past ten came. As for to-day, I am glad it is the last one I shall spend here. There is a settled gloom over everything, a sort of Sunday feeling that makes one eat 261 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A Good too much lunch. Mr. Trench had been Protestant allowed to conduct the service in the chapel this morning, and Lady Carriston kept tap- ping her foot all the time with annoyance at all his little tricks, and once or twice, when he was extra go-ahead, I heard her murmuring to herself " Ridiculous ! " and " Scandalous ! " What will she do when he is her son-in-law? Adeline and Miss Garnons knelt whenever they could, and as long as they could, and took off their gloves and folded their hands. I think Adeline hates Miss Garnons, because she is allowed to cross herself; and of course Adeline dare n't, with her mother there. After tea Charlie managed to get up quite close to me in a corner, and he said in a low voice that I was '^ a stunner," and that if I would just " give him the tip,*' he *d " chuck Cora to-morrow ; " that I " could give her fits ! " And if that is an English proposal. Mamma, I would much rather have the Vicomte's or the Marquis's. We are coming by the evening train to- morrow ; so till then good-bye. — Your affec- tionate daughter, Elizabeth. 262 Chevenix Castle CHEVENIX CASTLE D Chevenix Castle, 8th November, EAREST MAMMA, — I am sure Chevenix I shall enjoy myself here. The ^^'^^' train was so late, and only two other people were coming by it besides me, so we all drove up in the omnibus together. One was a man, and the other a woman, and she glared at me, and fussed her maid so about her dressing-bag, and it was such a gorgeous affair, and they had such quantities of luggage, and the only thing they said on the drive up was how cold it was, and they wondered when we should get there. And when we did arrive, there was only just time to rush up and dress for dinner ; all the other people had come by an earlier train. I left them both in the care of the groom of the chambers, as even Cousin 265 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Chevenix Octavia had gone upstairs, and there was Castle j^Q^ ^ gQ^j about, but she had left a message for me ; and while Agnes was clawing the things out of the trunks, I went to her room. She was just having her hair done, but she did not mind a bit, and was awfully glad to see me. She is a dear. Her hair is as dark as anything underneath, but all the outside is a bright red. She says it is much more attractive like that, but it does look odd before the front thing is on, and that is a fuzzy bit in a net, like what Royalties have. And then she has lots of twist-things round at the back, and although it does n't look at all bad when the diamond stick-ups are in and she is all arranged. She went on talking all the time while her maid was fixing it, just as if we were alone in the room. She told me I had grown six inches since she was with us at Arcachon three years ago, and that I was quite good-looking. She said they had a huge party for the balls, some rather nice people, and Lady Doraine and one or two others she hated. I said 266 CHEVENIX CASTLE why did she have people she hated — that The Test I would not if I were a Countess like ^ ^ '^~ her ; so she said those were often the very ones one was obliged to have, because the nice men would n't come without them. She hoped I had some decent clothes, as she had got a tame millionaire for me. So I said if it was Mr. Wertz she need not bother because I knew him ; and, be- sides, I only intended to marry a gentleman, unless, of course, I should get past twenty and passe, and then, goodness knows what I might take. She laughed, and said it was ridiculous to be so particular, but that anyway that would be no difficulty, as every one was a gentleman now who paid for things. Then she sent me off to dress, just as she began to put some red stuff on her lips. It is wonderful how nice she looks when everything is done, even though she has quite a different coloured chest to the top bit that shows above her pearl collar, which is brickish-red from hunting. So is her face, but she is such a dear that one admires even her great big nose and little 267 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The Test black eyes, which one would think hideous of a Gen- -^^ other people. I met Tom just going into her room as I came out ; he said he had come to borrow some scent from her. He looks younger than she does, but they were the same age when they got married, were n't they ? He kissed me and said I was a dear little cousin, and had I been boxing any one's ears lately. Before I could box his for talking so, Octavia called out to him to let me go, or I should be late, and had I not to scurry just ? Agnes fortunately had everything ready, but I fussed so that my face was crimson when I got down- stairs, and every one was already there. There seemed to be dozens of people. You will see in the list in the Morning Post to-morrow what a number of the Nazeby set there are here. Lord Valmond is here, but he did not see me until we were at dinner. I went in with Mr. Hodgkinson, who is contest- ing this Division; he is quite young and wears an eyeglass, which he keeps dropping. He really looks silly, but they say he says 268 CHEVENIX CASTLE some clever things if you give him time. The and that he will be a great acquisition to d^^^ ^ the party he has joined now, as it is much easier to get made a peer by the Radicals ; and that is what he wants, as his father made a huge fortune in bones and glue. He did not talk to me at all, but eat his dinner at first, and then said : " I don't believe in talking before the fish, do you ? " So I said: "No, nor till after the ices, unless one has something to say/* He was so surprised that his eyeglass dropped, and he had to fumble to find it, so by that time I had begun to talk to old Colonel Blake, who was at the other side of me. Lady Doraine was looking so pretty ; her hair has grown much fairer and nicer than it was at Nazeby. Lord Doraine is here too ; his eyes are so close together ! He plays a game called " Bridge " with Mr. Wertz and Mr. Hodgkinson and Tom all the time — I mean in the afternoon be- fore dinner — so Mr. Hodgkinson told me when we got to dessert. I suppose it was 269 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The the first thing he had found to say ! I frog ; because don't you remember we called it " Bridge " when you had to jump two ? He said No ; that it was a game of cards, and much more profitable if one had the luck of Lord Doraine, who had won heaps of money from Mr. Wertz. Afterwards, in the drawing-room. Lady Doraine came up to me and asked me where I had been hiding since the Nazeby visit, and when she heard I had been in France, she talked a lot about the fashions. She has such a splendid new rope of pearls, and such lovely clothes. The Rooses are here too, and Jane has a cold in her head. , She says she heard by this evening's post that Miss La Touche is going to be mar- ried to old Lord Kidminster, and that he is " too deaf to have heard everything, so it is just as well." I can't see why, as Miss La Touche is so nice, and never talks rubbish ; so I think it a pity he can't hear all she says, don't you ? Lady Doraine calls Octavia " darling ! " She stood fiddling with her diamond chain 270 CHEVENIX CASTLE and purring over her frock, so I suppose An Eng - - Ushma"' Views she is fond of her in spite of Octavia hating ^^^^^^«'-^ her. After dinner Lord Valmond came up to me at once. I felt in such a good temper, it was hard to be very stiff, he seemed so awfully glad to see me. He said I might have let him know what day it was that I crossed over to France after leaving Hazeldene Court — he would have taken such care of me. I said I was quite able to take care of myself. Then he asked me if the people were nice in France? and when I said perfectly charming, he said some Frenchwomen were n't bad but the men were monkeys. I said it showed how little he knew about them, I had found them delightful, always polite and respect- ful and amusing, quite a contrast to some English people one was obliged to meet. His eyes blazed like two bits of blue fire, and when he looked like that, it made my heart beat. Mamma, I don't know why. He is so nice-looking, of course no Frenchman could compare to him, but I was obliged to go on praising them because 271 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH An Eng- it annoyed him so. He said I must have lishman s stayed there ages, he had been wondering and wondering when he was to see me again. He said Mr. Hodgkinson was an ass, and he had been watching us at dinner. Then Lord Doraine came up and Lady Doraine introduced him to me, and he said a number of nice things, and he has a charming voice ; and Mr. Wertz came up too, and spoke to me ; and then Lady Doraine called Lord Valmond to come and sit on the little sofa by her, and she looked at him so fondly that I thought perhaps Lord Doraine might not like it. He tried not to see, but Mr. Wertz did^ and I think he must have a kind heart, because he fidgeted so, and almost at once went and joined them to break up the tete-a-tete, so that Lord Doraine might not be teased any more, I suppose. And every one went to bed rather early, because of the ball and shoot to-morrow, and I must jump in too, as I am sleepy, so good- night, dearest Mamma. — Your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. 272 CHEVENIX CASTLE Chevenix Castle, gth November, Dearest Mamma, — Such a lot to tell The you, and no time, as I must go down to tea. {^^T"U TXT J 1_ 1 • . r ^^^ ^^^^ We passed rather a bonng mornmg after the men had started for their shoot. Only a few people were down for breakfast, and none of the men who were n't guns. I sup- pose they were asleep. But Lady Grace Fenton was as cross as a bear because she wanted to go and shoot too. She is just like a man, and does look so odd and almost improper in the evening in female dress. And Tom won't have women out shoot- ing, except for lunch. Lady Doraine and Lady Greswold talked by the fire while they smoked, and Lady Greswold said she really did not know where the peers were to turn to now to make an honest penny, their names being no more good in the City, and that it was abominably hard that now, she had heard, they would have to understand business and work just like ordinary Stock Exchange people if they wanted to get on, and she did not know what things were coming to. i8 273 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The At lunch, in the chalet in the wood, it o r^ was rather fun. Mr. Hodgkinson and Lord Sad Case ^ . • , • j r t i Doraine sat on either side or me. Lord Valmond came up with the last guns, rather late, and he looked round the table and frowned. He seems quite grumpy now, not half so good-tempered as he used to be. I expect it is because Mrs. Smith is n't here. Mr. Wertz was so beautifully turned out in the newest clothes and the loveliest stockings, and he had two loaders and three guns, and Lord Doraine told me that he had killed three pheasants, but the ground was knee-deep in cartridges round him, and Tom was furious, as he likes an enormous bag. So I asked why, if Mr. Wertz was not a sportsman, had he taken the huge Quickham shoot in Norfolk ? Then Mr. Hodgkinson chimed in : " Oh ! to en- tertain Royalty and the husbands of his charming lady friends ! " and he fixed his eyeglass and looked round the corner of it at Lord Doraine, who drank a glass of peach brandy. After lunch the men had to start quickly, 274 aires CHEVENIX CASTLE as we had dawdled so, and so we turned to The go back to the house. ^'^^'''" Octavia put her arm through mine, and we were walking on, when Lady Doraine joined us, with the woman who had glared at me in the omnibus. She looked as if she hated walking. She is not actually stout, but everything is as tight as possible, and it does make her puff. She was awfully smart, and had the thinnest boots on. Lady Doraine was being so lovely to her, and Octavia was in one of her moods when she talks over people's heads, so we had not a very pleasant walk, until we came to the stable gate, when Octavia and I went that way to see her new hunters. We had hardly got out of hearing when she said — " Really, Elizabeth, how I dislike women ! " So I asked her who the puffing lady was, and she said a Mrs. Pike, the new Colonial millionairess. " Horrid creature, as unnecessary as can be!" So I asked her why she had invited her, then. And she said her sister-in-law. Carry, had got round Tom and made a point of it, 275 aires THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The as she was running them, and now Carry ^2 ' had got the measles and could not come to look after the creature herself; and it would serve her right if Folly Doraine took them out of her hands. And so you see. Mamma, everything has changed from your days, because this is n*t a person you would dream of knowing. I don't quite understand what " running them " means, and as Octavia was * a little out of temper, I did not like to ask her ; but Jane Roose is sure to know, so I will find out and tell you. I went and played with the children when we got in. They are such ducks, and we had a splendid romp. Little Tom is enor- mous for ^YG^, and so clever, and Gwynnie is the image of Octavia when her hair was dark. Now I must go down to tea. 7.30. — I was so late. Every one was there when I got down in such gorgeous tea-gowns ; I wore my white mousseline delaine frock. The Rooses have the look of using out their summer best dresses. Jane's cold is worse. The guns had got back, and came straggling in one by one, as they dressed, quickly or slowly ; and 276 CHEVENIX CASTLE Lord Doraine had such a lovely velvet suit Teaching on, and he said such nice things to me ; ^^^^^^^^ and Lord Valmond sat at the other side, and seemed more ill-tempered than ever. I can't think what is the matter with him. At last he asked me to play Patience with him ; so I said that was a game one played by oneself, and he said he knew quite a new one which he was sure I would like to learn ; but I did not particularly want to just then. Lady Doraine was showing Mr. Wertz her new one at the other side of the hall. There are some cosy little tables arranged for play- ing cards, with nice screens near, so that the other people's counting, &c., may not put one out. Mrs. Pike was too splendid for words, in petunia satin, and sable, and quantities of pearl chains ; and Tom was trying to talk to her. Nobody worries about Mr. Pike much ; but Lord Doraine took him off to the billiard-room, after collecting Mr. Wertz, to play " Bridge " — everybody plays " Bridge," I find — and then Lady Doraine came and joined Lord Valmond and me on the big sofa. ^77 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Teaching Lord Valmond hardly spoke after that. Patience ^^^ ^^^ teased him and said : " Harry, what a child you are ! " and she looked as sweetly malicious as the tortoise-shell cat at home does when it is going to scratch while it is purring. And presently Dolly Tenterdown came over to us (he is in Cousin Jack's battalion of the Coldstreams, and he looks about fifteen, but he behaves very " grown up "), and he asked Lady Doraine to come and teach him her new " Patience " ; and they went to one of the screen tables, and Lord Valmond said he was a charming fellow, but I thought he looked silly, and I do wonder what she found to say to him. She must be quite ttn years older than he is, and Jane Roose says it is an awful sign of age when people play with boys. Lord Valmond asked me to keep him some dances to-night, but I said I really did not know what I should do until it began, as I had never been at a ball be- fore. I have n't forgiven him a bit, so he need not think I have. Now I must stop. Oh ! I am longing to put on my white 278 CHEVENIX CASTLE tulle, and I do feel excited. — Your affec- ^ tionate daughter ^'f'"''' Elizabeth. ^'^^"^'"^ F,S, — I asked Jane Roose what " run- ning them " means, and it 's being put on to things in the City, and having all your bills paid if you introduce them to people ; only you sometimes have to write their letters for them to prevent them putting the whole grand address, &c., that is in the Peerage ; and she says it is quite a pro- fession now, and done by the best people, which of course must be true, as Carry is Tom's sister. E. Chevenix Castle, lOth November, Dearest Mamma, — Oh ! it was too, too lovely, last night. I am having my break- fast in bed to-day, just like the other grown-up people, and it really feels so grand to be writing to you between sips of tea and nibbles of toast and strawberry 279 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A jam ! Well, to tell you about the ball. Modern Yw^t my white tulle was a dream. Oc- Industry . .\ , i r i • 1-1 tavia said it was by far the prettiest debu- tante frock she had ever seen ; and when I was dressed she sent for me to her room, and Tom was there too, and she took out of a duck of a white satin case a lovely string of pearls and put it round my throat, and said it was their present to me for my first ball ! Was n*t it angelic of them ? I hugged and kissed them both, and almost squashed Tom's buttonhole into his pink coat, I was so pleased, but he said he did n't mind ; and then we all went down to- gether, and no one else was ready, so we looked through the rooms. The dancing, of course, was to be in the picture gallery, and the flowers were so splendid every- where, and Octavia was quite satisfied. It is a mercy it is such a big house, for we were n't put out a bit beforehand by the preparations. I don't know if you were ever like that. Mamma, but I felt as if I must jump about and sing, and my cheeks were burn- ing. Octavia sat down and played a valse, 280 ness CHEVENIX CASTLE and Tom and I opened the ball by our- Forghe- selves in the empty room, and it ivas fun, and then we saw Lord Valmond peeping in at the door, and he came up and said Tom was not to be greedy, and so I danced the two last rounds with him, and he had such a strange look in his eyes, a little bit like Jean when he had the fit, and he never said one word until we stopped. Then Octavia went out of the other door, and I don't know where Tom went, but we were alone, and so he said, would I forgive him for everything and be friends, that he had never been so sorry for anything in his life as having offended me. He really seemed so penitent, and he does dance so beautifully, and he is so tall and nice in his pink coat; and, besides, I re- membered his dinner with Aunt Maria, and how nasty I had been to him at Hazel- dene ! So I said, all right I would try, if he would promise never to be horrid again ; and he said he would n't ; and then we shook hands, and he said I looked lovely, and that my frock was perfect ; and then Tom came back and we went into the 281 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Forgive- hall, and everybody was down, and they "^^^ had drawn for partners to go in to dinner while we were in the ball-room. Tom had made Octavia arrange that we should draw, as he said he could not stand Lady Gres- wold two nights running. Octavia said she had drawn for Lord Valmond because he was n't there, and that his slip of paper was mey and he said on our way Into the dining-room that Octavia was a brick. We had such fun at dinner. Now that I have forgiven him, and have not to be thinking all the time of how nasty I can be, we get on splendidly. Mr. Wertz was at the other side of me with Mrs. Pike ; but as he is n't " running '* them he had not to bother to talk to her, and he is really very intelligent, and we three had such an amusing time. Lord Valmond was in a lovely temper. Jane Roose said afterwards in the drawing-room that It was because Mrs. Smith was com- ing with the Courceys to the ball. Lady Doraine had drawn Mr. Pike, who is melancholy-looking, with a long Jew nose ; but she woke him up and got him quite 282 CHEVENIX CASTLE animated by dessert, and Mrs. Pike did The Ball not like it one bit. I overheard her speak- ing to him about it afterwards, and he said so roughly, " You mind your own climbing, Mary ; you ought to be glad as it 's a titled lady ! " Well, then, by the time we were all assembled in the hall, every one began to arrive. Oh, it was so, so lovely I Every one looked at me as I stood beside Octavia at first, because they all knew the ball was given for me, and then for the first dance I danced with Tom, and after that I had heaps of partners, and I can't tell you about each dance, but it was all heavenly. I tried to remember what you said and not dance more than three times with the same person ; but, somehow. Lord Valmond got four, and another — but that was an extra. Mrs. Smith did come with the Courceys, and she was looking so smart with a beau- tiful gown on, and Jane Roose said it was a mercy Valmond was so rich ; but I don't see what that had to do with it. I saw him dancing with her once, but he looked as cross as two sticks, perhaps because she 283 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The Ball was rather late. Do you know. Mamma, a lot of the beauties we are always reading about in the papers as having walked in the Park looking perfectly lovely were there, and some of them are quite, quite old — much older than you — and all trimmed up ! Are n't you astonished ? And one has a grown-up son and daughter, and she danced all the time with Dolly Tenter- down, who was her son's fag at Eton, Lord Doraine told me. Is n't it odd ? And another was the lady that Sir Charles Helms- ford was with on the promenade at Nice, when you would not let me bow to him, do you remember? And she is as old as the other ! Lord Doraine was rather a bother, he wanted to dance with me so often ; so at last I said to Octavia I really was not at my first ball to dance with old men (he is quite forty), and what was I to do ? And she was so cross with him, and I could see her talking to him about it when she danced with him herself next dance ; and after that till supper he disappeared — into the smoking- room, I suppose, to play " Bridge." Z84 CHEVENIX CASTLE I went in to supper first with the Duke At of Meath — he had just finished taking in *^"^^^ Octavia — he is such a nice boy ; and then, as we were coming out, we went down a corridor, and there in a window-seat were Lord Valmond and Mrs. Smith, and he was still gloomy, and she had the same green-rhubarb-juice look she had the last night at Nazeby. He jumped up at once> and said to me he hoped I had not for- gotten I had promised to go in to supper with him, so I said I had just come from supper ; and while we were speaking Mrs. Smith had got the Duke to sit down be- side her, and so I had to go off with Lord Valmond, and he seemed so odd and nervous, and as if he were apologising about something; but I don't know what it could have been, as he had not asked me before to go in to supper with him. He seemed to cheer up presently, and per- suaded me to go back into the supper-room, as he said he was so hungry, and we found a dear little table, with big flower things on it, in a corner ; but when we got there he only played with an ortolan and drank 285 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH End of some champagne, but he did take such a the Ball ^j^jjg about it ; and each time I said I was sure the next dance was beginning he said he was still hungry. I have never seen any one have so much on his plate and eat so little. At last I insisted on going back, and when we got to the ball-room an extra was on, and he said I had promised him that, but I had n't. How- ever, we danced, and after that, having been so long away at supper, and one thing and another, my engagements seemed to get mixed, and I danced with all sorts of people I hadn't promised to in the begin- ning. At last it came to an end, and when the last carriage had driven away, we all went and had another hot supper. Mr. Pike would sit next to Lady Dor- aine, and he was as gay as a blackbird, and I heard Octavia saying to Lady Greswold that Carry had better hurry up and get that house in Park Street, or Lady Doraine would have it instead. Then we all went to bed, and Lord Valmond squeezed my hand and looked as silly as anything, and Jane Roose, who saw, said I had better be 286 CHEVENIX CASTLE careful, as he was playing me off against Tableaux Mrs. Smith. It was great impertinence of her, I think — don't you? — especially as Mrs. Smith had gone, so I can't see the point. — Now I am going to get up. Your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. Chevenix Castle, ijth November, Dearest Mamma, — I enjoyed myself last night quite as much as at the ball here ; but first, I must tell you about Thursday and yesterday. The morning after the ball here no one came down till lunch, and in the afternoon Lady Doraine suggested we should have some tableaux in the evening, and so we were busy all the time arranging them. They were all bosh ; but it was so amusing, Mrs. Pike lent every one her tea-gowns — she has dozens — and they did splendidly for the Queen of Sheba ; and Mr. Pike played Charles L having his head cut off, as Lady Doraine told him he had just the type of 287 T HE VISITS OF ELIZABETH A Game lofty melancholy face for that. I was °f . the Old Woman in the Shoe, with all the biggest people for children ; but the best of all was Dolly Tenderdown as " Bubbles." Lord Doraine and Mr. Wertz and Tom and some others played " Bridge " all the time while we were arranging them ; but Lord Valmond was most useful, and in such a decent temper. After they were over we danced a little, and it was all delightful. Yesterday, the day of the county ball in Chevenix, they shot again ; and it rained just as we all came down ready to start for the lunch ; so we could n't go, and had to lunch indoors without most of the men. Mr. Pike had n't gone shooting, because I heard Tom saying the night before to Lady Doraine that he wouldn't chance the party being murdered again, and that she must keep him at home somehow. So she did, and taught him Patience in the hall after lunch ; and Mrs. Pike went and wanted to learn it too, but Lady Doraine — who was lovely to her — somehow did not make much room on the sofa, so she had to go and sit some- where else. 288 CHEVENIX CASTLE Half the people were playing " Bridge/' ^ Broad and the rest were very comfortable, and ^^^ smoking cigarettes, of course; so Mrs. Pike did too. Her case is gold, with a splendid monogram in big rubies on it ; but I am sure it makes her feel sick, because she pufFs it out and makes it burn up as soon as she can without its being in her mouth. She had to go and lie down after that, as she said she would be too tired for the ball ; but nobody paid much attention. It was more lively at tea-time, when the guns came in. And Lord Doraine would sit by me ; he talked about poetry, and said dozens of nice things about me, and all sorts of amusing ones about every one else ; and Lord Valmond, who had gone to write some letters at a table near, seemed so put out with every one talking, that he could not keep his attention, and at last tore them up, and came and sat close to us, and told Lord Doraine that he could see Mr. Wertz was longing for " Bridge." And so he got up, and laughed in such a way, and said, " All right, Harry, old boy,'^ and Valmond got crimson — I don't know what 19 289 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The at — and looked as cross as a bear for a Duchess's ^^^ minutes. We had rather a hurried Ball dinner. My white chiffon is as pretty as the tulle, and Octavia was quite pleased with me. There were omnibuses and two broughams for us to go in. Octavia took me with her alone in one. I wanted to go in one of the omnibuses — it looked so much gayer — but she would n't let me. It is not much of a drive, as you know, and we all got there at the same time almost, and our party did look so smart as we came in. Octavia sailed like a queen up the room to a carpeted raised place at the end, and there held a sort of court. The Duchess of Glamorgan was already there with her three daughters, and their teeth stick out just like Mrs. Vavaseur's ; only they look ready to bite, and she was always smiling. The men of their party were so young, and looked as if they would not hurt a fly, and the Duchess had me introduced to her and asked about you. And Mrs. Pike tried to join in the con- versation, and the Duchess fixed on her 290 CHEVENIX CASTLE pince-nez and looked at her for quite ten The seconds, and then said, when she had retired ^^^J^^" ^ a little, " Who is this gorgeous person ? " And when I said Mrs. Pike, she said, " I don't remember the name," in a tone that dismissed Mrs. Pike from the universe as far as she was concerned ; and Jane Roose says she is almost the only Duchess who won't know parvenueSy and that is what makes her set so dull. There were such a lot of funny frumpy people at the other end of the room — " the rabble," Mrs. Pike called them. " Let us walk round and look at the rabble," she said to Lord Doraine, who was standing by her. And they went. I had such lots of partners I don't know what any one else did ; I was enjoying myself so, and I hope you won't be an- noyed with me, as I am afraid I danced oftener than three times with Lord Val- mond. Mrs. Smith seemed to be with the little Duke a great deal, and she glared at me whenever she passed. I like English balls much better than French, though, perhaps, I can't judge, as I was never at a 291 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The Ride real one there. But Englishmen are so Home much better-looking, and everybody does n't get so hot, and it is nice having places to sit out and talk without feeling you are doing something wrong. Coming home, Octavia made Lady Doraine and Mrs. Pike go in her brougham, and she and I went in one of the omnibuses. Lord Doraine sat between me and Octavia, and I suppose he was afraid of crushing her dress, for he positively squashed me, he sat so close. Lord Valmond was at the other side of me, and somebody must have been push- ing him, because he sat even nearer me than Lord Doraine, and between them I could hardly breathe ; it was fortunate it was a cold night. Before we got to the Park gates somehow the light went out, and all the way up the avenue people held each of my hands. I could not see who they were, and I tried to get them away, but I could n*t, and I was afraid to kick like I did to Charlie Carriston, as it might have been Mr. Hodgkinson who was sitting opposite, and so there would have been no 292 CHEVENIX CASTLE good in kicking Lord Doraine, or Lord ^« Situation Valmond ; but I just made my fingers as 'i'^^'^^^^ stiff as iron and left them alone. It is a surprise to me. Mamma, to find that gentle- men in England behave like this, I call it awfully disappointing, and I am sure they could not have done so when you were young, it seems they are just as bad as the French. I told Octavia about it when she came to tuck me up in bed; and she only went into a fit of laughter, and when I was offended, she said she would see that the next time I went to a ball with her, that I had a chaperon on each side coming home. I bowed as stiffly as I could in saying good-night to Lord Doraine and Lord Valmond, and they both looked so aston- ished, that perhaps it was Mr. Hodgkinson after all ; it is awkward not knowing, is n't it ? This morning all the guests are going, and on Monday, as you know, Tom and Octavia take me with them to stay at Foljambe Place, with the Murray-Hartleys for the Grassfield Hunt Ball. It will be fun, I hope, but I can never enjoy my- 293 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The self more than I have done here. — Now, Murray- good-bve, dear Mamma, your affectionate Hartleys ° , t7 •^ daughter, Elizabeth. P,S, — Octavia says the Murray-Hartleys aren't people you would know, but one must go with the times, and she will take care of me. E. 294 Foljambe Place FOLJAMBE PLACE FoLjAMBE Place, l^th November. DEAREST MAMMA, — We ^r- The Coat rived here this afternoon in time ^ ^^^ for tea. It is a splendid place, and everything has been done up for them by that man who chooses things for people when they don't know how themselves. He is here now, and he is quite a gentleman, and has his food with us ; I can't remember his name, but I daresay you know about him. Everything is Louis XV. and Louis XVL, but it does n't go so well in the saloon as it might, because the panelling is old oak, with the Foljambe coats of arms still all round the frieze, and over the mantelpiece, which is Elizabethan. And I heard this — (Mr. Jones I shall have to call him) — say that it jarred 297 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The Coat upon his nervous system like an intense ofJrms p^jj^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ]yj-j.g^ Murray-Hartley would keep them up, because there was a " Murray " coat of arms in one of the shields of the people they married, and she says it is an ancestor of hers, and that is why they bought the place ; but as Octavia told me that their real name was Hart, and that they hyphened the " Murray," which is his Christian name (if Jews can have Christian names) and put on the " ley " by royal licence, I can't see how it could have been an ancestor, can you ? They are quite established in Society, Octavia says ; they have been there for two seasons now, and every one knows them. They got Lady Greswold to give their first concert, and enclosed programmes with the invitations, so hardly any of the Duchesses felt they could refuse, Octavia said, when they were certain of hearing the best singers for nothing; and it was a splendid plan, as many concerts have been spoilt by a rumour getting about that Melba was not really going to sing. Everybody smart is here. I am one of the few untitled people. 298 FOLJAMBE PLACE Mrs. Murray-Hartley does n*t look a bit ^ Jewish, or fat and uneasy, like Mrs. Pike, ■^^^2'^^>' but then this is only Mrs. Pike's first year, p^^^ She — Mrs. M.-H. — is beautifully dressed, and awfully genial ; she said it was "just more than delightful '* of Octavia to bring me, and that it was so sweet of her to come to this friendly little party. " It is so much nicer to have just one's own friends," she said, " instead of those huge collections of people one hardly knows." There are quite twenty of us here. Mamma, so I don't call it such a very weeny party, do you ? My bedroom is magnificent, but it has n't all the new books as they have at Cheve- nix, and although the writing-table things are tortoise-shell and gold, there are n't any pens in the holders, that is why I am writing this in pencil. The towels have such beautifully embroidered double crests on them, and on the Hartley bit, the motto is " La fin vaut VeschelUr Octavia, who is in the room now looking at everything, said Lady Greswold chose it for them when they wanted a crest to have on their Sevres plates and things for their concert. 299 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Taste A ^es- Octavia keeps laughing to herself all the ^nZrf. time, as she looks at the things, and it puts me out writing, so I will finish this when I come to bed. 12.30. — We had a regular banquet, I sat next to Lord Doraine — I did not catch the name of the man who took me in — I forgot to tell you the Doraines and Sir Trevor and Lady Cecilia and lots of others I know are here. Mrs. Murray-Hartley does hostess herself, which Octavia says is very plucky of her, as both Lady Greswold, who gave her concert, and Lady Bobby Pomeroy, who brought all the young men, are staying in the house ; and Octavia says it shows she is really clever to have emancipated herself so soon. We had gold plate with the game, and china up to that, and afterwards Lady Gres- wold talked to Octavia, and asked her if she thought it would look better perhaps to begin gold with the soup, and have the hors {T ceuvres on specimen Sevres just to make a point. I hate gold plate myself, one's knife does make such slate-pencilish noises on it. 300 FOLJAMBE PLACE The man who took me in kept putting Lord my teeth so on edge that I was obliged ^almond's to speak to him about it at last. We had sturgeon from the Volga, or wherever the Roman emperors got theirs, but the plates were cold. Violins played softly all the time, behind a kind of Niagara Falls at the end of the room, which is magnificent ; it is hung with aubusson, almost as good as what they had at Croixmare, which has been there always. After dinner, while we were in the draw- ing-room alone, a note came for Mrs. Murray- Hartley. She was talking to Oc- tavia and me, so she read it aloud ; it was from Lord Valmond, and sent from the inn in the little town. He said he had intended staying there by himself for the Hunt Ball, but that on arrival he found no fire in his room, so he was writing to ask if Mrs. Murray-Hartley would put him up. She was enchanted, and at once asked Lady Greswold if it would not be better to turn Lord Oldfield out of his room — which is the best in the bachelors* suite — as he is only a baron ; but Lady Greswold 301 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Lord said she did not think it would matter. Valmond's j ^^ ^,^i| j^ ^^j^ ^^^'t you, Mamma ? be- cause Lord Valmond told me, when he left Chevenix on Saturday, that he had to go to another party in Yorkshire, and was as cross as a bear because he would not be able to be at the Grassfield ball. He turned up beautifully dressed as usual, as quickly as it was possible for the brougham which was sent for him to get back. He could not have kept it waiting a moment; so I don't believe the story about there being no fire in his room, do you ? Mrs. Murray- Hartley did gush at him. Octavia says it is the first time she has been able to get him to her house, as he is ridiculously old-fashioned and particular, and actually in London won't go to places unless he knows the host and hostess per- sonally. He stood with a vacant frown on his face all the time Mrs. Murray- Hartley was speaking, and a child could have seen he wanted to get away. It is in these kind of ways Frenchmen are more polite, because the Marquis always wore an interested grin when Godmamma kept him by her. He got 302 FOLJAMBE PLACE away at last, and came across the room, but Friendly by that time Sir Trevor and Mr. Hodgkin- ^ff^^^ son were talking to me, and there was no room for him on our sofa, and he had to speak to Lady Cecilia, who was near. She was as absent as usual, and he was talking at random, so their conversation was rather funny ; I heard scraps of it. Mr. Murray-Hartley must be very nice, although he looks so unimportant, for all the men call him "Jim," and are awfully friendly. Lord Oldfield and Lord Doraine seem ready to do anything for him. Lord Oldfield offered to hunt about and get him just the right stables for his house in Belgrave Square ; he knew of some splendid ones, he said, that were going a great bargain, on a freehold that belongs to his sister's husband. And Lord Doraine says he will choose his horses for him at Tattersall's next week, as he wants some good hunters ; he knows of the very ones for him. " You leave it all to me, dear boy,'' he said ; and at that Sir Trevor, who was listening (they were all standing close to our sofa) went into a guffaw of laughter. " Hunters," he 303 THE VISITSOF ELIZABETH A Sense whispered, quite loud, " beastly little Jew, of Honour j^^ > j j^^^^ ^^ h^iVQ a rocking-horse, and hold on by its mane." And when I said I did not think one ought to speak so of people when one was eating their salt, he seemed to think that quite a new view of the case, and said, " By Jove ! you are right, Elizabeth. Our honour and our sense of hospitality are both blunted nowadays." Presently Lady Cecilia called Mr. Hodg- kinson to her, and in one moment Lord Valmond had slipped into his place. I asked him why he was not in Yorkshire, and he said that he thought, after all, it was too far to go, and it was his duty to be at the Grassfield ball, as he has hunted with this pack sometimes. He looked and looked at me, and I don't know why. Mamma, but I felt so queer — I almost wish he had not come. I suppose Mrs. Smith is some- where in this neighbourhood, and that is why he did not go to Yorkshire. Sir Trevor monopolised most of the conversation, until we all got up to play baccarat. I did not want to play as I don't know it, and Lord Valmond said it would be much nicer to sit 304 FOLJAMBE PLACE and talk, but Mrs. Murray-Hartley would Playing not hear of our not joining in; and Octavia ^^^^^^^^ handed me a five-pound note and said I was not to lose more than that, so I thought I had better not go on refusing, and we went with the rest into the saloon, where there was a long table laid out with cards and counters. Lord Valmond said he would teach me the game, and that we would bank to- gether ; however, Lady Doraine sat down in the chair he was holding for me, and she put her hand on his coat sleeve and said in such a lovely voice, " Harry, it is ages since I have had a chat with you, sit down here by me." But he answered No, he had promised to show me how to play, and his mouth was set quite square. She looked so alluring I don't know how he could have done it, it was almost as flatter- ing to me as the Vicomte's riding all night from Versailles. She laughed — but it was not a very nice laugh — and she said, " Poor boy, is it as bad as that ? '* and he looked back at her in an insolent way, as if they were crossing swords, but he said nothing 20 305 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Playing more, only we moved to the other side of Baccarat ^^^ table, to where there were two empty chairs together. When we sat down he said women were devils, which I thought very rude of him. I told him so, and he said I was n*t a woman ; but I remember now. Mamma, he called me a " little devil " that time when he was so rude at Nazeby, so it shows how inconsistent men are, does n't it ? I some- times think he would like to say all the nice things the Vicomte used to, only with Englishmen I suppose you have to be alone in the room for them to do that; they have not the least idea, like the French, of managing while they are speaking out loud about something else. Every one looks very anxious here when they play ; it is not at all a joke as the roulette used to be at Nazeby ; and they do put a lot on, although counters don't seem to be much to look at. It is not at all a difficult game. Mamma, and some of the people were so lucky turning up " naturels," but we lost in spite of them at our side of the table, and Lord Doraine 306 FOLJAMBE PLACE said at last, that it was because we — Lord A Good- Valmond and I — were sitting together. ^^^"^ Valmond looked angry, but he chaffed back. I don't know what it was all about, and I was getting so sleepy, that when a fresh deal was going to begin I asked Octavia, who was near, if I might not go to bed. She nodded, so I slipped away. Lord Val- mond followed, to light my candle he said, but as there is nothing but electric light that was nonsense. He was just be- ginning to say something nice, when we got beyond the carved oak screen that separates the staircase from the saloon, and there there were rows of footmen and people peeping in, so he just said " Good-night." And I also will say good-night to you, Mamma, or I shall look ugly to-morrow for the ball. — Love from your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. 307 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH FoLjAMBE Place, i6th November. Bad Dearest Mamma. — I have just come ^^ ^^ up to dress for tea, but I find it is earlier than I thought, so I shall have time to tell you about to-day. It has absolutely poured with rain and sleet and snow and blown a gale from the moment we woke this morning until now — quite the most horrid weather I ever remember. All the men were in such tempers, as it was im- possible to shoot. Mr. Murray-Hartley had prepared thousands of tame pheasants for them, Tom said, although this was n't to be a big shoot, only to amuse them by the way ; and they were all looking for- ward to a regular slaughter. O eta via, and I, and Lady Bobby, were among the few women down to breakfast besides our hostess, who is so bright and cheery in the morning ; and when you think how morose English people are until lunch time it is a great quality. Some of the men came down ready to start, and these were the ones in the worst humour. After 308 FOLJAMBE PLACE breakfast half of them disappeared to the An stables, and the rest played " Bridge," except ^"^J^ Lord Valmond and Mr. Hodgkinson, who wanted to stay with us, only we would not have them, so we were left to our- selves more or less. Mrs. Murray-Hartley took us to see the pictures and the collections of china and miniatures ; and she talks about them all just like a book, and calls them simple little things, and you would never have guessed they cost thousands, and that she had not been used to them always, until she showed us a beautiful enamel of Madame de Pompa- dour, and called it the Princesse de Lam- balle, and said so sympathetically that it was quite too melancholy to think she had been hacked to pieces in the Revolu- tion; only perhaps it served her right for saying " Apr'es moi le deluge ! " Octavia was in fits, and I wonder no one noticed it. Then she said she must leave us for a little in the music-room, as she always went to see her children at this hour — they live in another wing. By that time Lady Doraine and Lady Gres- 309 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Gossip wold, and most of the others were down, and some of them looked as if they had been up awfully late. It seems they did not finish the baccarat until half-past three, and that Lord Oldfield won more than a thousand pounds. Mrs. Murray-Hartley had hardly got out of the door, when Lady Doraine said what a beautiful woman she was, and Lady Greswold began " yes and such tact," and Lady Bobby said, " and so charming," and Lady Cecilia — who was doing ribbon work on a small frame that sounds like a drum every time you put the needle through — looked up and drawled in her voice right up at the top, " Yes, I have noticed very rich people always are." Then they all talked at once, and by listening carefully one made out that they were saying a nice thing about every one, only with a different ending to it, like : " she is perfectly devey but what a pity she makes herself so remarkable," and " Darling Florrie, of course she is as straight as a die, but wearing those gowns so much too young for her, and with that very French figure, it does give people a wrong impression," 310 FOLJAMBE PLACE and "It is extraordinary luck for dear The Rosie, her husband*s dying before he knew ^°"^^f ^ 1 • ,, T • • 11 • 1 TV T Rebuked anything. I suppose it is all right. Mamma, but it sounds to me like giving back-handers. The French women never talked like this ; they were witty and amusing and polite, just the same as if the men were in the room. Octavia did not join in it, but read the papers, and when they got round to Mrs. Murray-Hartley again, and this time simply clawed her to pieces, Octavia looked up and said in a downright way, " Oh ! come, we need none of us have known this woman unless we liked, and we are all get- ting the quid pro quo out of her, so for goodness' sake let us leave her alone." That raised a perfect storm, they denied having said a word and were quite indig- nant at the idea of getting anything out of her; but "It's all bosh," Octavia said, " I am here because it is the nearest house to the Grassfield ball, and the whole thing amuses me, and I suppose you all have your reasons." Lady Doraine looked at her out of the corner of her eyes, and said in her purry voice, " Darling Octavia — you are so 311 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Octavia's original," and then she turned the conver- Philosophy g^^iQj^ ij^ ^i^g neatest way. Octavia said to me, as we went upstairs before lunch, that they were a set of cats and harpies, and she hated them all, only unfor- tunately the others — the nice good ones — taken en bloc made things so dull, it was better to put up with this set. Then she kissed me as I went into my room and said ; " At this time of the world's day, my little Elizabeth, there is no use in fighting windmills." At luncheon Lord Valmond sat next to me ; he said we had been horrid not to have wanted him to spend the morning with us, and would I let him teach me " Bridge " afterwards ? I said I really was not a bit interested in cards, but he said it was a delightful game, so I said All right. After lunch in the saloon I overheard Mrs. Murray- Hartley say to Lady Greswold that she feared this awful weather would make her party a failure, and what was she to do to amuse them this afternoon? So Lady Greswold said : " Leave 'em alone with plenty of opportunities to talk to their 312 FOLJAMBE PLACE friends, and it will be all right." And so ^n she did. Afternoon Lord Valmond and I found a nice little table in a corner by the fire, and we began to turn over the cards, and presently every one disappeared, except Lady Doraine and Mr. Wertz, who played Patience or something, beyond one of the Spanish leather screens ; and Lady Bobby and Lord Oldfield, who were smoking cigarettes to- gether on the big sofa. We could just hear their voices murmuring. You can't play " Bridge " with only two people, I find, and when Lord Valmond had explained the principles to me, I was none the wiser. I suppose I was thinking of something else, and he said I was a stupid little thing, but in such a nice voice, and then we talked and did not worry about the cards. But after a while he said he thought it was draughty for me in the saloon, and it would be cosier in one of the sitting-rooms, but I would not go. Mamma, as I did not find it at all cold. Then Lord Doraine came in, and went over and disturbed everybody in turn, and 313 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH Lord finally sat down by us, and Lady Bobby Doraine laughed out loud, and Lady Doraine peeped round the screen with her mischievous tor- toise-shell cat expression, so I just said I would go and dress for tea, and came upstairs. I am sure they were all trying to make me feel uncomfortable, but I did n't a bit. I heard them shrieking with laughter as I left, and I caught a glimpse of Lord Valmond's face, and it was set as hard as iron. Octavia wants me to wear my only other new ball dress to-night, the white gauze, so I suppose I must, and I do hope the rain will stop before we start. — With love from your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. P.S, — Agnes says she won't sup down- stairs, as there was so much champagne in the " room " last night that several of the valets got drunk, and she thinks it is not distingue. 3H FOLJAMBE PLACE FoLjAMBE Place, Wednesday, Dearest Mamma, — Octavia is writing to Sir Hugh you, and we have such a piece of news for ^'^y^^- you ! I will tell you presently. Part of the ball last night was quite delightful, and fortunately the rain had stopped before we started, in fact, I saw the stars shining when I looked out on my way down to tea. A new man had arrived. Sir Hugh d'Eynecourt, I remember you have often spoken of him. He is nice-looking though quite old, over forty, I should think. It appears he has been away from the world for more than two years ; he has only come to this party now because Lady Bobby made him ; he met her lately, and is a great friend of hers. The other men. Lord Doraine, &c., were chaffing him by the fireplace — no one else was down — and they did say such odd things. Tom asked him why he had dis- appeared for so long, and he said. Time was, when — if one stuck to one's own class — to live and love was within the reach of 3^5 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The any gentleman, but since the fashion of the ^r/k/ long strings of pearls came in, it had be- come more expensive than the other class, and he could not compete with Jews and financiers, so he had gone to live quietly in Paris. I don't know what it meant, but it seemed to amuse them all awfully. When they saw me sitting on the sofa they stopped talking at once, and then began about how horrid the day had been ; and Sir Hugh was introduced and asked about you. He said I was not nearly so pretty as you had been at my age, but I should do, he dared say. Then when I stood up, and he saw my height, he said that he had always thought five foot seven a perfect measure for women, so I said I did feel disappointed, as I was only five foot six and three-quarters ; he laughed and whispered, " Oh yes, I am sure you will do — very well indeed." He is charming, and he says he will be an uncle to me. At tea Octavia and he and t sat on the big sofa, and Lady Bobby did not like it a bit. She tried to talk to Lord Valmond, who was fidgeting about, looking as cross 316 FOLJAMBE PLACE as a bear ; but he would not stay still long The enough to have any conversation. parrel As we were going upstairs afterwards, he ran after me and said he must tell me that Sir Hugh was not at all the kind of man I ought to talk so much to, and would I promise him the first dance to-night? I said No, that I was going to give it to Sir Hugh, and that he had better mind his own business or I would not dance with him at all. I was not really angry. Mamma — be- cause he is so nice-looking — but one is obliged to be firm with men, as I am sure you know. He turned round and stamped down the stairs again, without a word, in a passion. At dinner, which I went in to with Mr. Wertz, Sir Hugh was at the other side, and you can't think how friendly we got. He says I am the sweetest little darling he has seen in a month of Sundays. I kept catching sight of Lord Valmond's face be- tween the flowers — he had taken in Mrs. Murray-Hartley — and it was alternately so cross and unhappy looking, that he must have had violent indigestion. We went to the ball in omnibuses and 317 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The broughams, the usual thing ; but Octavia parrel ^^^j^ ^^^^ ^^^^ j g^^ between her and Lady CeciHa. Mrs. Murray-Hartley^^^j so beauti- fully dressed, and her jewels were superb, and everything in very good taste. She is really a very agreeable woman to talk to. Mamma, and one can't blame her for want- ing to be in Society. It must be so much nicer than Bayswater, where they came from, and Octavia says it proves her intelligence ; it is easier to rise from the gutter than from the suburbs. Everybody had arrived when our party got to the ball. The Rooses are staying at Pennythorn, and Jane came and said to me at once how sorry she was to see me looking pale, and she hoped I would be able to enjoy myself — I was n't pale. Mamma, I am sure, but I did feel just a teeny bit sorry I had quarrelled again with Lord Valmond. He never came near me, and everything seemed to be at sixes and sevens ; people got cross because I mixed up their dances quite unintentionally, and, I don't know why, I did not enjoy myself a bit, in spite of Sir Hugh saying every sort of lovely 318 FOLJAMBE PLACE thing to me. I had supper with him, and ^n Un- Lord Vahnond was near with Lady Doraine, Pj^^^^^^ , , - . . 1 • TV /r Incident and she was being so nice to him, Mamma, leaning over and looking into his eyes, and I don't think it good form, do you ? Two or three dances afterwards, when we went back to the ball-room, there was a polka ; I danced it with some idiot who almost at once let yards and yards of my gauze frills get torn, so I was obliged to go to the cloak-room to have it pinned up. It was a long way off, and when I came out my partner had disappeared, and there was no one about but Lord Doraine, and the moment I saw him I hated the look in his eyes, they seemed all swimming ; and he said in such a nasty fat voice : " Little darling, I have sent your partner away, and I am waiting for you, come and sit out with me among the palms," and I don't know why, but I felt frightened, and so I said, " No ! " that I was going back to the ball-room. And he got nearer and nearer, and caught hold of my arm, and said, " No, no, you shall not unless you give me a kiss first." And he would not let me pass. I can't imagine why, 319 THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH The En- Mamma, but I never felt so frightened in gagement j^^ |j£g . ^^^ j^g^ then, walking aimlessly down the passage, came Lord Valmond. He saw us and came up quickly, and I was so glad to see some one, that I ran to him, as Lord Doraine let me pass directly he caught sight of Harry — I mean Lord Val- mond — and he was in such a rage when he saw how I was trembling, and said, " What has that brute been saying to you ? " and looked as if he wanted to go back and fight him ; but I was so terrified that I could only say, " Do come away ! *' We went and sat in the palm place, and there was not a soul there, as every one was dancing ; and I really don*t know how it happened, I was so upset about that horrid Lord Doraine, that Harry tried to comfort me, and we made up our quarrel, and — he kissed me again — and I hope you won't be very cross. Mamma ; but somehow I did not feel at all angry this time. And I thought he was fond of Mrs. Smith; but it isn't, it's Me! And we are engaged. And Octavia is writing to you. And I hope you won't mind. And 320 V FOLJAMBE PLACE the post is off, so no more. — From your Vktorine affectionate daughter, Elizabeth. ^^ outdone P,S, — I shall get married before the Drawing-Room in February, because then I can wear a tiara. P.S. again. — Of course an English mar- quis is higher than a French one, so I shall walk in front of Victorine anywhere, shan t I ? E. 21 321 NOTABLE NOVELS WITH SOME PRESS OPINIONS THE CARDINAL'S SNUFF-BOX. By Henry Harland. Author of " Grey Roses," " Comedies and Errors," etc. Crown 8vo. I1.50. The North American: ^'This charming love story ... is as delicate as the sunset on the snow-covered summits of his Monte Sfiorito, as fragrant with the breath of youth, summer, and love as the forest breeze which swept into the villa Floriano." Neiv Tork Tribune: ** We find * The Cardinal's Snuff Box 'so captivating, a book so good that we want it to be perfect ... it is a book to enjoy and to praise." Chicago Times-Herald: ** The chief virtue of the story is the fi-eshness and idyllic quality of the manner of its telling." The Albany Argus : ** One of the prettiest love stories one can find in search- ing the book-shelves over .... There are few books that give so broad and beautiful a picture of the Catholic as this garden idyll." The Boston Herald: "So happily flavored \^th witty and brilliant conversations, and so full of charm in its love avowals that it is utterly irresistible. . . . Altogether it is one of the most refi-eshing love stories of modem fiction.** The World (London) : '< A work of art." Spectator (London) : "A charming romance." The Star (London) : **My admiration leaves me breathless." Speaker (London) : "Mr. Harland has achieved a triumph. . . . The most delightfiil book the spring has yet brought.'* SENATOR NORTH. By Gertrude Ath- ERTON. Author of " Patience Sparhawk," "The CaHfornians,** "A Daughter of the Vine," etc., etc. Crown 8vo. I1.50. New Tork Herald: "In the description of Washington life Mrs. Atherton shows not only a very considerable knowledge of externals, but also an insight into the underlying political issues that is remarkable." Chicago Times Herald: **Mrs. Atherton is capable of dramatic situations of great intensity." Outlook: "The novel has genuine historical value." Town Topics: " 'Senator North' is a book that every American, whether interested in the society life of the capital or the larger life of the men who make the laws, should read. It is the strongest political novel ever written by an American. As a historic novel it is in a class by itself. No earnest student of our national life can afford to let * Senator North ' go unread.'* Boston Times : ** It is one of the best books I have read this year, and it is thoroughly American.** NOTABLE NOVELS WITH SOME PRESS OPINIONS THE TRIALS OF THE BANTOCKS. By G. S. Street. Author of *«The Autobiography of a Boy/' "The Wise and the Wayward/' " Quales Ego," etc. i2mo. ;^i.25. Neiv Tork Tribune : *' A capital skit, scalding in its satire and genial in its drollery . . . well sustained j it is effectively written all through." Public Ledger : " Keen and humorous, the novel presents an inimitable study of the wealthy British Philistine that would have filled the heart of Matthew Arnold with joy. ' ' New York Herald : " Extremely well written, the humor delicate and refined, and the moral obvious." THE REALIST. By Herbert Flowerdew. Crown 8vo. ^1.50. Pall Mall Gazette : " Those who love a story which will hold their attention closely fi-om the first page to the last need go no further than ' The Realist.' " THE JUDGMENT OF HELEN. By Thomas Cobb. Author of " Mr. Passingham," *' Scruples," etc. Crown 8vo. $1.50. Literature : "A very entertaining and well-written book." ONE QUEEN TRIUMPHANT. By Frank Mathew. Author of " The Defender of the Faith," « The Wood of the Brambles," «' A Child in the Temple,'' " The Spanish Wine," etc. Crown 8vo. $1.50. The Spectator : "A very spirited and ingenious novel.'* IDOLS. By W. J. Locke. Author of " The White Dove," etc. Crown 8vo. ^1.50. Daily Mail : '< One of the very few distinguished novels of this present book season. ' ' THE QUEST OF THE GOLDEN GIRL. By Richard Le Gallienne. Crown 8vo. j^i.50. THE ROMANCE OF ZION CHAPEL. By Richard Le Gallienne. Crown 8vo. $1.50. THE WORSHIPPER OF THE IMAGE. By Richard Le Gallienne. Crown 8vo. ^1.50. REGINA, OR, The Sins of the Fathers. By Hermann SuDERMANN. Translated by Beatrice Marshall. Crown 8vo. ^1.50. JOHN LANE . 251 Fifth Avenue • NEW YORK COMEDIES AND ERRORS By HENRY HARLAND Second Edition Mr. Harland has clearly thought out a form, . . . He has mastered a method, and learned how to paint. . . . His art is all alive with felicities and delicacies. . . . He is lost in the vision, all whimsical and picturesque, of palace secrets, rulers and pretenders and ministers, of bewilderingly light comedy in undiscoverable Balkan States, Bohemias of the seaboard ; in the heavy, many-voiced air of the old Roman streets and of the high Roman saloons, where cardinals are part of the furniture ; in the hum of prodigious Paris, heard in comers of old cafes ; in the sense of the deep English back- ground, as much as that of any of these. Most of his situations are treated in the first person ; and as they skip across fi-ontiers, and pop up in parks and palaces, they give us the impression that, all suffused with youth as the whole thing seems, it is the play of a memory that has had half a dozen lives. Nothing is more charming in it than the reverberation of the old delicate, sociable France that the author loves most of all to conjure up, and that fills the exquisite little picture of ** Rooms" with an odour of feint lavender in wonderful bowls and a rustle of ancient silk on polished floors. — Mr. Henry James, in an article on Mr. Harland's work in The Fortnightly Rcvieiu. A kind of younger Pater, emancipated fix)m those cramping academic bonds which occasionally injured Mr. Pater's work. Mr. Harland is younger, freer, with juvenile spirits and a happy keenness and interest in life. He is more of a creator and less of a critic ; perhaps some day he will even achieve the same kind of literary distinction as that which adorned his older rival. — Mr. W. L. Courtney, in Daily Telegraph. Indubitably he has given to the short-story form a shapeliness, a distinc- tion of contour, a delicacy in detail, an effective value, and, above all, an economic simplicity, beyond the performance of others. He has carried the technique of a particular art further than any of his contemporaries. — Academy, This reviewer cannot call to mind the name of any one writing in English who works in the same medium in which Mr. Harland does supremely well. — Daily Chronicle. Mr. Henry Harland charms, and at times even enchants you with hit wit and humour and the dainty delicacy and grace of his portraiture in " Comedies and Errors." — Truth. JOHN LANE, Publisher, London ^ New York COMEDIES AND ERRORS By HENRY HARLAND Some American Press Opinions What Mr. Harland has done definitely for the art of the short story is to enlarge its scope, to give it fulness and richness, to link the incident with the rest of life, and to convert what has been feared as embarrassing decoration into essential substance. , , . Mr. Harland' s temperament is gay enough to wrestle with the most painful experience, and to declare that, after all, life is good, pain transient, and pleasure of one sort or an- other always waiting for recognition. — The Nation^ These ** Comedies and Errors " reveal the instinct of the true artist, the sense of form, the compression and restraint, the lightness of touch and the deft handling of incident that characterize the short stories of the most famous practitioners. Mr. Harland has not gone to the school of the best French' men in -vain, and has at last shown himself capable of workmanship so deli' cate that we have not the heart to say aught but praise concerning it. — The Dial. GREY ROSES By HENRY HARLAND Exceedingly pleasant to read. You close the book with a feeling that you have met a host of charming people. "Castles near Spain" comes near to being a perfect thing of its kind. — Pall Mall Gazette. They are charming stories, simple, full of freshness, with a good deal of delicate wit, both in the imagining and in the telling. The last story of the book, in spite of improbabilities quite tremendous, is a delightful story. He has realised better than any one else the specialised character of the short story and how it should be written. — Daily Chronicle. Really delightful. "Castles near Spain" is as near perfection as it could well be. — Spectator. ** Castles near Spain" as a fentastjc love episode Is simply inimitable, and "Mercedes" is instinct with a pretty humour and childlike tender- ness that render it peculiarly, nay, uniquely fascinating. "Grey Roses" are entitled to rank among the choicest flowers of the realms of romance. — Daily Telegraph. Never before has the strange, we might almost say the weird, fascination of the Bohemianism of the Latin Quarter been so well depicted. — FFhiiehall Revretv. JOHN LANE, Publisher, London & New York