The Exclusives (vol. 3 of 3)Bury, Charlotte Campbell, Lady
General
The Exclusives (vol. 3 of 3)
Bury, Charlotte Campbell, Lady
Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
Of what religion are we, then? might be the natural question asked, and
was one which applied certainly to Lady Glenmore, who had now learnt
the most fatal of all lessons, that it is unnecessary to hallow the
Sabbath day; and she went on to learn, that she could live and be happy
without her husband. Letters came from him, breathing kindness and
affection, and these were answered with something like a corresponding
feeling, for still in her heart his image was enshrined, although her
vanity betrayed her into the perilous error of being engrossed at the
moment by the attentions and presence of another. Lord Glenmore's
letters, however, contained no hope of his being able to join her at
Spa; for government contemplated an earlier assembling of parliament
than usual, and the presence of all the ministers was required at an
unusually early period. This circumstance, however, affected Lady
Glenmore but little, for her regret was waning into carelessness at his
absence. Thus bound to England, Lord Glenmore expressed his wish that
Lady Glenmore should leave Spa about the end of October or middle of
November, and proceed by the way of Paris, where he still indulged a
faint hope that he should be able to join her.
Notwithstanding much dissuasion on the part of Lady Tenderden and
Mr. Leslie Winyard against obeying these injunctions, Lady Glenmore
remained firm, and they shortly after were on their way to Paris.
Mr. Leslie Winyard, of course, took his route to Paris likewise; for
though he began to feel that the affair _trainé en longueur_, he was
determined at least to enjoy the _renommée_ of adding another name
to the list of his successes. At Paris the rumour of his attachment
to Lady Glenmore found a wider range, and amongst the mixed, and
larger aggregate of English, became the subject of more marked and
varied observation. Here, therefore, in the same selfish spirit of
worldly-mindedness which had induced Lady Tilney to send Lady Glenmore
to the continent, Lady Tenderden saw the propriety of giving some
admonitory hints to the latter: such as, "_It was not well to stake
all on one throw_: that it was not in _good taste_ to have but one
cavalier always in attendance; and that the _préféré_ himself would
cease to be flattered by that preference, if he had _champ libre_
always at command, without any competitors to dispute the honour with
him. Besides, there is a certain _retenue_ to be observed," she went
on to say, "by women of fashion, who should never give the vulgar an
advantage over them, by not having a ready reply to make, or be made,
to any disadvantageous or impertinent observations: for example, if
they should say, 'Mr. Leslie Winyard is always at Lady Glenmore's
elbow,' it might be answered, 'And so is Prince Luttermanne, and Lord
Gascoigne, and Lord Baskerville, and a thousand others.' A little
address, my dear Lady Glenmore, sets all this sort of things to rights;
only one must know how to conduct oneself."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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