Domestic fiction; Inheritance and succession -- Fiction
The visit of the Marchioness was passed over with the less disturbance
to Miss Tallowax because it was arranged that she was to be taken over
to lunch at Manor Cross on the following day. Lord George had said a
word, and Lady Sarah had consented, though, as a rule, Lady Sarah did
not like the company of vulgar people. The peasants of the parish, down
to the very poorest of the poor, were her daily companions. With them
she would spend hours, feeling no inconvenience from their language or
habits. But she did not like gentlefolk who were not gentle. In days
now long gone by, she had only assented to the Dean, because holy
orders are supposed to make a gentleman; for she would acknowledge a
bishop to be as grand a nobleman as any, though he might have been born
the son of a butcher. But nobility and gentry cannot travel backwards,
and she had been in doubt about Miss Tallowax. But even with the Lady
Sarah a feeling has made its way which teaches them to know that they
must submit to some changes. The thing was to be regretted, but Lady
Sarah knew that she was not strong enough to stand quite alone. "You
know she is very rich," the Marchioness had said in a whisper; "and if
Brotherton marries, your poor brother will want it so badly."
"That ought not to make any difference, mamma," said Lady Sarah.
Whether it did make any difference or not, Lady Sarah herself probably
hardly knew; but she did consent to the asking of Miss Tallowax to
lunch at Manor Cross.
CHAPTER V.
MISS TALLOWAX IS SHOWN THE HOUSE.
The Dean took his aunt over to Manor Cross in his brougham. The Dean's
brougham was the neatest carriage in Brotherton, very much more so than
the bishop's family carriage. It was, no doubt, generally to be seen
with only one horse; and neither the bishop or Mrs. Barton ever stirred
without two; but then one horse is enough for town work, and that one
horse could lift his legs and make himself conspicuous in a manner of
which the bishop's rather sorry jades knew nothing. On this occasion,
as the journey was long, there were two horses--hired; but,
nevertheless, the brougham looked very well as it came up the long
Manor Cross avenue. Miss Tallowax became rather frightened as she drew
near to the scene of her coming grandeur.
"Henry," she said to her nephew, "they will think so little of me."
"My dear aunt," replied the Dean, "in these days a lady who has plenty
of money of her own can hold her head up anywhere. The dear old
marchioness will think quite as much of you as you do of her."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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