Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Self-control -- Fiction; Women -- Fiction
As soon as the commotion occasioned by their entrance was over, and
Laura formally made acquainted with the lady, Mrs Dawkins began, 'I
hopes, Kate, you ha'nt forgot how to tell about your jaunt to Scotland;
for this here young lady staid tea just o'purpose to hear it.' 'Oh, that
I ha'nt,' said Mrs Jones, 'I'm sure I shall remember it the longest day
I have to live.' 'Pray Miss,' added she, turning to Laura, 'was you ever
in Glasgow?' 'Never,' said Laura; 'but I have heard that it is a fine
city.' 'Ay, but I've been there first and last eleven days; and I can
say for it, it is really a handsome town, and a mort of good white-stone
houses in it. For you see, when Mr Jones married me, he had not been
altogether satisfied with his rider, and he thoft as he'd go down to
Glasgow himself and do business; and that he'd make it do for his
wedding jaunt, and that would be killing two dogs with one stone.'
'That was certainly an excellent plan,' said Laura. 'Well,' continued
Mrs Jones, 'when we'd been about a week in Glasgow, we were had to dine
one day with Mr Mactavish, as supplies Mr Jones with ginghams; and he
talked about some grand house of one of your Scotch dukes, and said as
how we must'nt go home without seeing it. So we thought since we had
come so far, we might as well see what was to be seen.' 'Certainly,'
said Laura, at the pause which was made to take breath, and receive
approbation. 'Well, we went down along the river, which, to say truth,
is very pretty, tho'f it be not turfed, nor kept neat round the edges,
to a place they call Dumbarton; where there is a rock, for all the
world, like an ill-made sugar loaf, with a slice out o' the middle on't;
and they told us there was a castle on it, but such a castle!' 'Pray,
sister,' said Miss Julia, 'have you an accurate idea of what constitutes
a castle? of the keeps, the turrets, the winding staircases, and the
portcullis?' 'Bless you, my dear,' returned the traveller, 'ha'nt I seen
Windsor Castle, and t'other's no more like it--no more than nothing at
all. Howsoever, we slept that night at a very decent sort of an inn; and
Mr Jones thought as we were so comfortable, we had best come back to
sleep. So as the duke's house was but thirty miles off, we thought if we
set off soon in the morning, we might get back at night. So off we set,
and went two stages to breakfast, at a place with one of their
outlandish names; and to be sartain, when we got there, we were as
hungry as hounds. Well, we called for hot rolls; and, do but think,
there was'nt no such thing to be had for love or money.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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