"Ask Mamma"; or, The Richest Commoner In EnglandSurtees, Robert Smith
General
"Ask Mamma"; or, The Richest Commoner In England
Surtees, Robert Smith
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Fox hunting -- Fiction
Moffatt had on every
day, and whether they had any new dishes for dinner, and all the
news, sporting and otherwise, urging him as before to take care
of Dowb (meaning himself), and hoping he was improving in his
hunting, able to sit at the jumps, and enjoying himself
generally..
The fifth, which caused the rest to come, was a mere repetition
of her anxieties and requests for a line, and immediately
produced the following letter:—
MR. WILLIAM TO HIS MAMMA.
“Yammerton Grange.
“My dearest Mamma,
“Your letters have all reached me at once, for though both
Rougier and I especially charged the butler and another fine
fellow, and gave them heads to put on, to send all that came
immediately, they seem to have waited for an accumulation so as
to make one sending do. It is very idle of them.
“The seals are beautiful, and I am very much obliged to you for
them. I will seal this letter with the large one by way of a
beginning. It seems to be uncommonly well quartered—quite noble.
“I will now tell you all my movements.
“I have been here at Major Yammerton’s,—not Hammerton’s as you
called him—for some days enjoying myself amazingly, for the Major
has a nice pack of harriers that go along leisurely, instead of
tearing away at the unconscionable pace the Earl’s do. Still, a
canter in the Park at high tide in my opinion is a much better
thing with plenty of ladies looking on. Talking of cantering
reminds me I’ve bought a horse of the Major’s,—bought him all
except paying for him, so you had better send me the money, one
hundred guineas; for though the Major says I may pay for him when
I like, and seems quite easy about it, they say horses are always
ready money, so I suppose I must conform to the rule. It is a
beautiful bay with four black legs, and a splendid mane and
tail—very blood-like and racing; indeed the Major says if I was
to put him into some of the spring handicaps I should be sure to
win a hatful of money with him, or perhaps a gold cup or two. The
Major is a great sportsman and has kept hounds for a great number
of years, and altogether he is very agreeable, and I feel more at
home here than I did at the Castle, where, though everything was
very fine, still there was no fun and only Mrs. Moffatt to talk
to, at least in the lady way, for though she always professed to
be expecting lady callers, none ever came that I saw or heard of.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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