"Yes, and has now gone out to India with her husband. Mary is also
engaged to be married--a very _good_ match--a Mr Rivers, in the law.
He has been called to the bar this year, and promises well. They will
be a little pinched at first, but we must see what we can do for them."
We stopped at a neat row of houses, I forget the name, and, as we drove
up, the servant, the only man-servant, came out, and took the ponies
round to the stable, while the maid received my luggage, and one or two
paper-bags, containing a few extras for the occasion. I was met with
the same warmth as usual by Mrs Willemott. The house was small, but
very neat; the remnants of former grandeur appeared here and there, in
one or two little articles, favourites of the lady. We sat down at five
o'clock to a _plain_ dinner, and were attended by the footman, who had
rubbed down the ponies and pulled on his livery.
"A good plain cook is the best thing, after all," observed Willemott.
"Your fine cooks won't condescend to roast and boil. Will you take some
of this sirloin, the under-cut is excellent. My dear, give Mr Reynolds
some Yorkshire pudding."
When we were left alone after dinner, Willemott told me, very
unconcernedly, of his losses.
"It was my own fault," said he; "I wished to make up a little sum for
the girls, and risking what they would have had, I left them almost
pennyless. However, we can always command a bottle of port and a
beef-steak, and _what more_ in this world can you have? Will you take
port or white?--I have no claret to offer you."
We finished our port, but I could perceive no difference in Willemott.
He was just as happy and as cheerful as ever. He drove me to town the
next day. During our drive, he observed, "I like ponies, they are so
little trouble; and I prefer them to driving one horse in this vehicle,
as I can put my wife and daughters into it. It's selfish to keep a
carriage for yourself alone, and one horse in a four-wheeled double
chaise appears like an imposition upon the poor animal."
I went to Scotland, and remained about a year. On my return, I found
that my friend Willemott had again shifted his quarters. He was at
Brighton; and having nothing better to do, I put myself in the "Times,"
and arrived at the Bedford Hotel. It was not until after some inquiry,
that I could find out his address. At last I obtained it, in a
respectable but not fashionable part of this overgrown town. Willemott
received me just as before.
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account