genteel way, was considered quite a catch at card-parties, and when she
did ask people to tea she always did the thing in better style than
anybody else. The consequence was she was not only visited by most
people, but in time became rather a person of consideration. As she
never mentioned her husband, it was supposed that she was a widow, and,
in consequence of her well-regulated establishment, she received much
attention from several Irish and foreign bachelors. In short, my mother
obtained almost the pinnacle of her ambition when she was once fairly
settled at Cheltenham. I ought to observe that when she arrived there
she had taken the precaution of prefixing a name to her own to which by
baptismal rite she certainly was not entitled, and called herself Mrs.
Montague Saunders.
Shortly after Mrs. St. Felix had given notice to the doctor that she
should not return, and that her shop and the goodwill thereof were for
sale, I received a letter from my friend Tom Cobb, the doctor's
assistant, telling me that as he perceived he had now no chance of Mrs.
St. Felix, he had some idea of taking her shop, and setting up as a
tobacconist; his reasons were that physic was a bore, and going out of
nights when called up a still greater. I wrote to Lady O'Connor
inclosing Mr. Tom's letter, and pointed out to her that I thought it
would be a public benefit to prevent Tom from killing so many people, as
he certainly would do if he continued in his present profession, and
eventually set up for himself. She replied that she agreed with me, but
at the same time that she was anxious to benefit fat Jane, who really
was a very good girl; and that, therefore, she empowered me to enter
into a treaty with Mr. Thomas, by which, provided he could obtain the
lady's consent, he was to wed her, and receive the stock in trade, its
contents and fixtures, and goodwill, etc., as her portion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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