Americans -- England -- Fiction; England -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction
Naturally we were late at luncheon, but we did not describe our drive
in detail. The groom at the stables says that the pony can drag Mrs.
MacGill quite safely, if Miss Evesham is firm in her management. Of
course she will have to walk up and down all the hills, but she
doesn't mind that, and Mrs. MacGill will love it. It is bliss to her
to lie in slippered ease, so to speak, and see all the people in her
vicinity working like galley slaves. We shall be delightfully situated
now, with Greytoria, Sir Archibald's motor, and an occasional trap
from the stables, if we need other vehicles.
Sir Archibald as yet does not look upon a motor as a philanthropic
institution. There are moments when he seems simply to regard it as a
means of selfish pleasure, but that must be changed.
Item. Miss Evesham looked only twenty-nine at luncheon.
MRS. MACGILL
Last night I slept so badly that I could not go down to the
dining-room this morning. Cecilia, in spite of her neuralgia yesterday
seemed well and bright. I asked her to send me up some breakfast, but
could scarcely eat it when it came; the tea was cold, the bread damp
and tough, and the egg fresh enough, but curious. Cecilia never came
near me after breakfast. When I came down about eleven o'clock, very
cold, I found no one in the sitting-rooms. Hearing voices, I went to
the door and found Cecilia talking to the American girl, who had a
great deal of colour for that hour in the morning. Sir Archibald came
up, grinding round the drive in his motor. It is quite unnecessary to
have brought a motor here at all, for I observe that the hillsides are
covered with ponies. There must have been a herd of twenty-five of
them outside my window this morning, so a motor is quite out of place.
The doctor here recommends me to try driving exercise, but some of the
animals are so very small that I scarcely think they could pull me up
these hills. Cecilia says the smaller ones are foals. Many of them
kick, I see, so we must select with care. I wish we could procure a
donkey. The feeling of confidence I have when in a donkey-chair more
than makes up for the slowness of motion.
Like me, Mrs. Pomeroy was kept awake by the wind--it never stops here.
When I remarked on this, Cecilia said in her patronising way, 'Don't
you remember Borrow's famous line,--
'There's always the wind on the heath'?
'I see nothing clever in that,' I said; 'there _is_ always wind on the
heath here, and I particularly dislike it.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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