"Ask Mamma"; or, The Richest Commoner In England — John Shaqi
"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
With Mrs. William Pringle’s (_née_ Willing) birth, parentage, and
education, we would gladly furnish the readers of this work with
some information, but, unfortunately, it does not lie in our
power so to do, for the simple reason, that we do not know
anything. We first find her located at that eminent Court
milliner and dressmaker’s, Madame Adelaide Banboxeney, in
Furbelow Street, Berkeley Square, where her elegant manners, and
obliging disposition, to say nothing of her taste in torturing
ribbons and wreaths, and her talent for making plain girls into
pretty ones, earned for her a very distinguished reputation. She
soon became first-hand, or trier-on, and unfortunately, was
afterwards tempted into setting-up for herself, when she soon
found, that though fine ladies like to be cheated, it must be
done in style, and by some one, if not with a carriage, at all
events with a name; and that a bonnet, though beautiful in Bond
Street, loses all power of attraction if it is known to come out
of Bloomsbury. Miss Willing was, therefore, soon sold up; and
Madame Banboxeney (whose real name was Brown, Jane Brown, wife of
John Brown, who was a billiard-table marker, until his wife’s
fingers set him up in a gig), Madame Banboxeney, we say, thinking
to profit by Miss Willing’s misfortunes, offered her a very
reduced salary to return to her situation; but Miss Willing
having tasted the sweets of bed, a thing she very seldom did at
Madame Banboxeney’s, at least not during the season, stood out
for more money; the consequence of which was, she lost that
chance, and had the benefit of Madame’s bad word at all the other
establishments she afterwards applied to. In this dilemma, she
resolved to turn her hand to lady’s-maid-ism; and having mastered
the science of hair-dressing, she made the rounds of the
accustomed servant-shops, grocers, oilmen, brushmen, and so on,
asking if they knew of any one wanting a perfect lady’s-maid.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account