The Newcomes: Memoirs of a Most Respectable FamilyThackeray, William Makepeace
General
The Newcomes: Memoirs of a Most Respectable Family
Thackeray, William Makepeace
Domestic fiction; Families -- England -- Fiction
entertainment lasted actually until after dark: and a particularly neat
cab being called from St. Clement’s by Mr. Binnie’s boy, you may be
sure we all conducted the ladies to their vehicle: and many a fellow
returning from his lonely club that evening into chambers must have
envied us the pleasure of having received two such beauties.
The clerical bachelor was not to be outdone by the gentlemen of the
bar; and the entertainment at the Temple was followed by one at
Honeyman’s lodgings, which, I must own, greatly exceeded ours in
splendour, for Honeyman had his luncheon from Gunter’s; and if he had
been Miss Rosey’s mother, giving a breakfast to the dear girl on her
marriage, the affair could not have been more elegant and handsome. We
had but two bouquets at our entertainment; at Honeyman’s there were
four upon the breakfast-table, besides a great pineapple, which must
have cost the rogue three or four guineas, and which Percy Sibwright
delicately cut up. Rosey thought the pineapple delicious. “The dear
thing does not remember the pineapples in the West Indies!” cries Mrs.
Mackenzie; and she gave us many exciting narratives of entertainments
at which she had been present at various colonial governors’ tables.
After luncheon, our host hoped we should have a little music. Dancing,
of course, could not be allowed. “That,” said Honeyman with his
soft-bleating sigh, “were scarcely clerical. You know, besides, you are
in a _hermitage;_ and” (with a glance round the table) “must put up
with Cenobite’s fare.” The fare was, as I have said, excellent. The
wine was bad, as George, and I, and Sib agreed; and in so far we
flattered ourselves that _our_ feast altogether excelled the parson’s.
The champagne especially was such stuff, that Warrington remarked on it
to his neighbour, a dark gentleman, with a tuft to his chin, and
splendid rings and chains.
The dark gentleman’s wife and daughter were the other two ladies
invited by our host. The elder was splendidly dressed. Poor Mrs.
Mackenzie’s simple gimcracks, though she displayed them to the most
advantage, and could make an ormolu bracelet go as far as another
woman’s emerald clasps, were as nothing compared to the other lady’s
gorgeous jewellery. Her fingers glittered with rings innumerable. The
head of her smelling-bottle was as big as her husband’s gold snuff box,
and of the same splendid material. Our ladies, it must be confessed,
came in a modest cab from Fitzroy Square; these arrived in a splendid
little open carriage with white ponies, and harness all over brass,
which the lady of the rings drove with a whip that was a parasol. Mrs.
Mackenzie, standing at Honeyman’s window, with her arm round Rosey’s
waist, viewed this arrival perhaps with envy. “My dear Mr. Honeyman,
whose are those beautiful horses?” cries Rosey, with enthusiasm.
The divine says with a faint blush—“It is—ah—it is Mrs. Sherrick and
Miss Sherrick who have done me the favour to come to luncheon.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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