THE BRIDE'S RETURN.
The approaching gaieties of London, after
Easter, were pronounced likely to be of a
more brilliant description than they had been
for years, as is always the case, according to
the interests and wishes of the persons who
raise the report. One of the earliest arrivals
in the scene of _ton_ was that of the Glenmores,
who had returned from Paris, whither they
had proceeded, it will be remembered, shortly
after their marriage.
London, however, was still empty; a considerable
part of the _élite_ remained at Restormel,
and others of their corps were not yet
reunited; while such as had in fact nothing
to do with them, were nevertheless sufficiently
foolish to regulate their movements by those
of the exclusives.
It was in this interval between the two
assignable points of a London season that
Lord Glenmore, turning the corner into the
still deserted region of Hyde Park, met there,
to his surprise, Lord Albert D'Esterre, who
sat his horse like one careless of what was
passing around him, and seemingly so absorbed
in his own thoughts, that the exercise
of riding had the appearance at that moment
with him of a mechanical habit, rather than
a thing of choice. So deeply occupied was he
in reflection, that Lord Glenmore was obliged
to call several times, and at length to ride
close up to him, before he could attract his
attention.
"D'Esterre," said he, as he held out his
hand, "I rejoice to meet you; and this unexpected
pleasure is the greater, as I thought
you had been too fashionable a man to be yet
in London, at least for a day or two to come.
But how ill you look! what is the matter
with you?"
Lord Albert was not in a mood to bear
interruption from any one, or exactly able,
without putting a force upon himself, to meet
any inquiry with a courteous answer. But
Lord Glenmore was, perhaps, one of the
very few exceptions in whose favour something
of this feeling was abated, for their
intimacy had been of long standing; and Lord
Albert's regard and respect for his character
was, as it deserved to be, of the highest
kind.
As soon, therefore, as the latter was roused
from his reverie by the kindly voice of his
friend, he greeted him with answering
warmth, and inquired after Lady Glenmore
with that cordial interest which he felt for
the wife of his friend; he at the same time
endeavoured to laugh off Lord Glenmore's
observations on his own personal appearance,
which were nevertheless well-founded--for
his mind was labouring under an anxiety
which visibly displayed itself in his countenance,
and which, as his first emotion of
pleasure in the near prospect of meeting
Lady Adeline subsided, the mysterious words
of Lady Hamlet Vernon's note were too well
calculated to give rise to. This state of uneasiness
was by no means diminished by the
delay of Lady Dunmelraise's arrival in town.
At her house Lord Albert's hourly inquiries
had for two days been fruitless; and he was
returning from South Audley Street, with
the expression of increased disappointment
painted in his looks, when he met Lord
Glenmore.
After some conversation of a general nature,
and inquiries into the events which had
arisen in the fashionable world during his
absence, and which the latter confessed himself
to have been too happy to have thought
about before, he asked Lord D'Esterre, with
a manner implying more interest, what were
his own views and intentions.
"I hope you are not thinking of returning
abroad," he added, "for we want you at
home, and then you must marry." Lord
Albert sighed as his friend approached the
subject so near his heart, but which he was
little inclined to discuss with him at that particular
moment; while the other, without
remarking the grave expression that had
returned over Lord Albert's countenance,
continued:--
"Allow me to speak to you as a man who
has lived a little longer in the world than
yourself, and to whom you formerly communicated
what were your views and wishes in
life. You told me you would aim at diplomacy
and at office; I am sure in both from
noble motives, and because you felt it to be
your bias, which in all our pursuits is half
the battle in ensuring success. Now you must
permit me to tell you that, however great or
powerful in point of interest a man may be,
he can never with these objects be too much
of the latter. Above all things, then, keep
this principle before you; and, in any alliance
that you may form (for you will marry soon,
depend upon it: the ladies, if there were no
fears from yourself, will not allow you to remain
long in single blessedness), endeavour
to remember my advice, and look round you
before you take the leap which is to break
the neck of your liberty, and do not throw
away the advantages which your situation (to
say nothing of yourself) give you of selecting
where you choose, and where you think your
pursuits will best be promoted.
"Now there is one, _par parenthèse_, among
the many desirable parties I could name
to you--which is Osbaldeston's daughter.
His interest is great; but he has taken
through life the most foolish of all parts
in politics--that of being of neither party;
and, as an independent peer, is alternately
hated and caressed, abused and praised,
despised and sought after by both. You
know, since the death of his eldest son,
all his affections centre in this daughter;
and I am persuaded that any one united to
her, may make all Lord Osbaldeston's interests
his own. I do not mean to force this
match upon you," smiling as he spoke; "but
I allude to it as a sample of what, as your
friend, and one thinking with you in politics,
and pretty much the same in all other matters,
and having your interest, my dear D'Esterre,
much at heart, I would rejoice to see you
assent to. _Enfin_--the Osbaldestons dine with
us to-day, and if you will join us, you will
have an opportunity of judging for yourself."
Lord Albert, as if he thought himself
doomed to undergo violence on all sides in
regard to Lady Adeline, replied with more
petulance in the tone of his voice than he
was ever known to give way to--
"My dear friend, you forget that I am an
engaged man."
"Oh, if you mean to allude to Lady
Adeline Seymour, I had understood that it
was only that sort of engagement which
might be dissolved or not, as the parties
chose when they came to years of discretion;
and as I had heard it whispered that
Lady Adeline was attached to a young man
who was much at Dunmelraise, and a _protégé_
of her mother's, a certain Mr. George Foley,
who turned all the women's heads about two
years ago in London (Lady Hamlet Vernon's
among the rest, by the way), I could not suppose,
seeing you very quietly here, that your
heart was much engaged; and I thought I
knew you too well to believe that you would
ever marry (however much I hope you will
make a prudent alliance) where love and
esteem do not constitute a part of the compact."
"My dear Glenmore, I see your kind intention,
through this apparent carelessness
of my feelings; but allow me to assure you,
you are misinformed--a purer, truer, or more
innocent creature does not exist than Lady
Adeline Seymour; and though I have been
separated lately from her, yet from my correspondence
with herself, and from the invariable
accounts I have received from others, I feel
assured that the ingenuousness of her character
would never allow her to have a
thought concealed from her mother or myself
in the momentous question between us. Oh
no; when I look back to her every letter, the
recollection brings conviction along with it
of her heart being unchanged."
Lord Albert spoke with an inward agitation
which corresponded little with the confidence
which his words expressed. His outward appearance,
however, was calm; and Lord Glenmore,
supposing he had been led into a very
pardonable error, and wholly innocent of intentionally
wounding his friend's feelings,
proceeded--
"Well, if it is thus, D'Esterre, you are
already a married man, I conceive; but be it
so, that does not prevent your dining with me
to-day--pray come."
Lord Albert declined, saying gravely, "no!
that cannot be; for I am in hourly expectation
of Lady Adeline's arrival with her mother,
who, I am sorry to add, comes to town on
account of her health." A momentary pause
ensued in the conversation; and Lord Albert,
seemingly little inclined to renew the last
topic or enter upon any new one, seized the
opportunity of bidding his companion farewell,
and they separated.
From the somewhat cold and reserved manner
of his parting, Lord Glenmore, when
alone, began to think he had committed a
mistake in treating his friend's engagement
with Lady Adeline lightly, and condemned
himself for what had escaped him on the subject.
For Lord Glenmore was a man of honourable,
as well as kindly feelings; and in giving
the counsel of a _prudential_ marriage to Lord
Albert, was at the same time the last person
to think that, in an union for life, happiness
ought to be sacrificed to interested views:
the furthest also from his thoughts would have
been any design to interfere between, or to
disunite any two persons who were attached
to each other. Perhaps the world in general
might not have given him credit for this amiability
of feeling, or for the strict principle
which he really possessed, from seeing that he
lived in constant intercourse with a class,
where, if similar worth of character did exist
at all, it certainly never was looked up to as a
merit in the possessor. It must be allowed
that Lord Glenmore was any thing rather than
a fitting member of such a class; for in addition
to warmth of heart, natural affection, and
good principles, he possessed talents of a very
superior kind, and held opinions quite at
variance with the received creed of his companions.
He believed, for instance, that life was given
for other purposes than to be spent in accident
alone, or that a perpetual course of frivolous
pursuits, without any higher aim or object,
should be suffered to govern human existence;
but that, on the contrary, every action should
tend to some useful purpose. If Lord Glenmore
was ambitious (and he was so), his
ambition was of a noble kind; and while he
sought power, his uprightness of character
could never suffer him to abuse its exercise.
He was called proud by some: but although
impressed with a sense of the dignity of the
aristocracy to which he belonged, it was not
a blind and foolish estimate of rank which
made him value it, but a conviction of the
importance and responsibility which every one
placed in the higher grades of society possesses,
while fulfilling the duties of the sphere
in which Providence places him; and if in
society he sometimes appeared reserved, and
joined not in all the empty, uninteresting topics
that make up the conversation of most of the
coteries of _ton_, it was--that his mind was
filled, even in the buzz of the vapid talk
around him, with matters worthy of the reflection
and study of an intellectual being.
He owed his admission, consequently,
within the line of circumvallation drawn
by the _ultra_ leaders of fashion, to a dread of
the important consequence of his remaining
aloof from their circle, and the preponderating
influence which even his neutrality would afford
(for Lord Glenmore was not a man to lend
himself to either side in such a frivolous warfare
as the decision of who were, or who
were not, worthy members of the _corps élite_).
Although the exclusives, therefore, one and
all, considered him to fall short of a due proportion
of that species of merit necessary to
their order, yet still they united in one common
effort to retain him on their side. They
could have wished him, no doubt, allied to
one of their own peculiar choosing, and had
heard with dismay proportionate to the consequences
which might frustrate their plans
respecting him, the announcement of his
marriage with his present wife.
Determined, however, to make the best
of the unpropitious event, they had from
the first decided on the general policy of
endeavouring to retain Lord Glenmore's influence,
by admitting Lady Glenmore (however
much she might be considered inadmissible)
amongst them; and thus to secure
in the opinion of the world the sanction of
her husband to live on terms of intimacy in
their set.
It was this motive which in some degree
influenced the ladies who were present at
Lady Melcomb's ball, and subsequently at the
marriage, to risk the loss of _caste_ by being
seen in the motley collection of that lady's
assembly: though the ties of relationship, in
one or two instances, would have led them to
the re-union on such a happy occasion. Yet
with Lady Ellersby and Lady Tenderden these
were impulses, which were only to be acted
upon when the laws and dogmas of exclusiveness
permitted such a proceeding.
When Lord Glenmore returned from the
Continent with his young bride, the news of
his arrival quickly spread through the exclusive
circle, and called for some decisive measure
on their part, to ascertain how he might
be induced still to remain, under the circumstances
of his new connexion, in the same degree
of intimacy with them. It was therefore
time, on the part of the exclusives, for bringing
to bear these intentions at the moment
of their re-assembling in London, and more
particularly on that of the individuals who
composed the party at Restormel.
Lady Tilney, whose activity was ever on
the alert, ordered her carriage before the
morning show of London began, that she
might catch all the chiefs of her party at
home. The first house she visited was Lady
Ellersby's, who was not yet risen, but she was
admitted to her bed-side.
"_Reveillez-vous belle endormie_," said Lady
Tilney, kissing her on both sides of her face,
"for what do you think I am come about?"
"I cannot imagine: has Lady Hamlet
Vernon gone off with any body, or do the
ministry totter, or has Newmarket proved
unsuccessful, or, in short, tell me what _has_
happened!"
"No, my dear, nothing of all that; but the
Glenmores are come back from Paris, and
now or never must the question be ultimately
decided whether we are to retain Lord Glenmore
amongst us or not. You know we were
agreed on the general policy of doing so soon
after his marriage, and the first step to take
will be to tutor the young Georgina, so that
she may not on the outset of her _début_ do
any thing to disgrace us. But although I considered
the matter as settled, I would not
take any decided step till I consulted you. It
is on this account I am come at so early an
hour, lest we should not have acted in concert
on this point; for as I always say, it is the
disagreement in the cabinet between their own
members which always breaks up the administration;
so society is, or ought to be, precisely
a type of the government of a state:
don't you agree with me?"
"Perfectly," replied Lady Ellersby, suppressing
a yawn, for she did not, to do her
justice, understand one word of the political
jargon in which her friend always talked, whether
the conversation ran on the choice of a
new cap or the admission of a new member
to their society. Lady Tilney observing her
dear friend's absence of mind, told her that
she looked so beautiful in her night-cap, she
quite made her forget her errand.
"But, nevertheless," (she added) "I must
remind you, that it _is_ one of no small importance,
for you see what a vast field of interests
the Glenmore himself includes. There are
the Melcombs, and the D'Esterres, and the
Osbaldestons--a perfect host. _Some_ of them
may play a card in politics: _all_ of them are
good tools, and I promised Lord Tilney not
to lose sight of that consideration. So if we
exclude la petite Glenmore, we shall be incurring
great risks; whereas, by making
her _one of us_, we shall have a vast addition of
strength added to our party, and we can always
take care that the vulgars belonging to
her, who are only good for certain uses,
shall not come in her train."
Lady Ellersby, whose attention had been
effectually awakened by the admiration of her
night-cap, now sat up in her bed and said,
"Ah! there indeed is the difficulty--how will
you manage that?"
"Nothing easier: we will, as I said, explain
to her what an advantage it is to belong
to us, and the necessity of our confining
our members to a very small circle, and then
tell her that we will always let her know whom
she is to invite to her parties, and whom she
is to go out with. Thus we shall take care
that, from the very beginning, she does not
_compromise_ us. One or other of us must
always be at her right hand, and by flattering
Lord Glenmore, and endeavouring
to make him believe that Lord Tilney is
wavering, and may possibly come round to
his side in politics, we shall easily get that
sort of power established with both, which
it is quite necessary to obtain if they are to
belong to us; and that they are so to do
is, as I have already explained to you,
equally necessary. Not that I, for the world,
would make any body do what he did not
like to do: no one is more for perfect freedom,
as you well know, than myself, but you
must feel that not to belong to us, is in fact to
be nobody, so that we are doing them a favour,
the greatest possible favour indeed; and
I am sure I would not take all this trouble
were it not that I am convinced it is doing
good."
"Oh yes, you are so good-natured, you
are always trying to oblige. And what then
would you have me to do?"
"Why I would have you call upon Lady
Glenmore to-day, and you may tell her how
she ought to dress, and to demean herself in
public. And when she is in public, you may
take care that no one speaks to her but
those whom we approve of; and should any
of her vulgar relations by any accident affect
to get near her, you can contrive to draw her
away, and carry her off to some other place.
Thus, my dear Lady Ellersby, I think, after
having explained this business so far, I need
say no more, though I could talk for hours
on the subject," Lady Ellersby yawned instinctively;
"but the line of conduct I wish
you to adopt has been so minutely pointed
out, that I think you cannot possibly misunderstand
it. And now I will go to Lady
Tenderden and the rest, and I flatter myself
no _diplomate_ ever played his part with more
skill. Depend upon it I will continue to
do my utmost endeavour to succeed in this
affair, which I feel persuaded is of considerable
consequence to our society. Not, as I
before said, that I would ever, either in great
or little matters, stoop to contrivance. I like
to persuade people for their good, and would
have all the world act with a liberal and free
exercise of their own rightful powers; the
right of reason which every individual ought
to exert and use in his own behalf. Ah, if
all governments could but be persuaded of
this, and be ruled in their determinations by
this noble motive of action, how differently
things in general would be managed from
what they are! Kings would no longer
be puppets of state, but be obliged in self-defence
to become rational people, and not to
depend on their ministers and favourites;
and ministers would not depend on each
other as they do, but every body in his own
sphere would be doing all he could to tend
to the public weal."
Lady Tilney had once again got on her
favourite theme; and on these occasions she
never found out that the one part of her
discourse generally contradicted the other,
and that her _meaning_ virtually did so where
her _words_ did not, for it was always herself
who was to be the mover and law-giver.
But this was all matter of moonshine to her
present auditress, who at length shewed
unequivocal symptoms of inattention, and
even hinted that it was time for her to rise.
So at length Lady Tilney, reiterating the part
she assigned to her respecting Lady Glenmore,
took a tender leave and departed.
Her next visit was made to Lady Tenderden.
"Ah!" she said, on meeting her, after
the first greetings, "what a relief it is
to have to converse with a rational being,
one who understands the meaning of things
in general. I have just been talking to poor
dear Lady Ellersby, who is, between ourselves,
become more than ever thick, and
indolent--she actually cannot understand any
thing _consecutively_; however, I have, I think,
at last put her in a right track upon the subject
which I must now discuss with you."
"I know," said Lady Tenderden, interrupting
her (for patience was not her _forte_)
"what you would say. The Glenmores are
arrived, and--"
"Exactly; and it is necessary we talk the
matter over, and settle precisely the _marche
du jeu_."
"Oh! by all means, take _la petite Georgina
en main, et l'affaire est faite--je m'en charge_."
"That is precisely what I wished;--nobody
is better calculated for that office. In the
multiplicity of things which I have to do,"
said Lady Tilney, "it is not possible that I
should pay that sort of attention which she
will require, for she is very childish, perfectly
ignorant of the ways of the world, almost a
simpleton, and our society might be entirely
broken up and destroyed, if we allowed her,
without proper caution being previously
observed, to come in amongst us. At the
same time, I think it is of such consequence
that we should not altogether lose Lord
Glenmore, I mean politically as well as prudentially
speaking, that it does appear to me
to be quite worth while to take the trouble
of forming that little wife of his, and making
her one of us."
"Oh, _certainement_," replied Lady Tenderden.
"Besides, Lord Glenmore is charming;
_il fera fureur_, when he becomes a little
more polished, and I shall with infinite pleasure
_consacré_ some hours to the instruction
of _la petite ladi qui seroit à ravir si elle n'avoit
pas l'air d'un mouton qui rève_."
"Exactly," cried Lady Tilney, "but that
is of no consequence."
"Oh, none in the world," responded Lady
Tenderden.
"Well then, my dear, that is finally arranged,
and I shall now only have to go to
the Glenmores to-morrow; but if it be possible,
_you_ had better see her to-day, and
above all things secure her coming to the
Ellersby's party, and Lady Hamlet Vernon's
on Sunday, and to our own party on the
water on Monday, and to the Opera with you
on Tuesday, and so on; in short, taking care
only that not one day shall be lost or misapplied."
"Depend upon me; and now then farewell,
my dear Lady Tenderden. We meet to-night?"
"Of course. _Soyez toujours séduisante
comme à present; cette capotte jaune est délicieuse;
elle vous va à ravir._"
"_Flatteuse_," rejoined Lady Tilney in a tone
of languishing satisfaction, and so they parted
mutually pleased. Lady Tenderden, true to her
promise, drove straight to Lady Glenmore's,
and found her at home. Having expressed
her satisfaction at this fortunate circumstance,
one too of such rare occurrence, she
praised every part of her dress, and inquiring
of the Paris fashions, thus proceeded: "And
now, my fair queen, you are truly an enviable
personage--_you_, if any body ever had,
have really _beau jeu_, every thing that can make
a woman's life truly desirable; a great establishment,
magnificent equipages, jewels,
and the consideration which attaches to a _haut
grade_ in society, a distinguished title, _tout
enfin qui peut embellir la vie_; truly, _je vous
en félicite, ma belle amie_. But you cannot
occupy so enviable a position without exciting
the most active envy. Now allow me, as
a sincere friend, to put you _au courant_ of some
things, in respect to the true nature of which
you may be deceived. There are a certain
set of persons, who will very naturally pay you
court, and endeavour to obtain your ear; such
as the Duchesse D'Hermanton, the Ladies
Proby, and Ladies How, and all that tiresome
concourse of old dowagers; but be upon your
guard against these, and without giving open
offence to any body, be sure that you get rid
of them in their very first onset."--Lady Glenmore
stared. "_Vous ouvrez des grands yeux,
ma chère_, but you will soon learn the use of
these cautions. If the people I have named
send their names, as they will certainly do or
visit you, be a long time before you return the
call; they are an old-fashioned set, who pique
themselves on politeness, and _veille cour_ attentions,
and feeling affronted by this neglect on
your part, they will not so readily or familiarly
accost you in public. When they do
(for some of them are vulgarly good-natured
enough not to take the hint)--when they do
accost you, take care to look as if you did not
know who they were, and to answer them
by monosyllables, if you answer them at all.
"Above all things, never go to their wearisome
_At Homes_; but if they attack you with
one of their downright speeches,--sorry not to
have had the honour, &c. &c.--hoping you had
received a card, &c. &c.--curtsey, and say you
were vastly sorry, but you forgot the day,
or----no no, say _mistook_ it; yes, _mistook_ it,
that is best, because it is a loop-hole that answers
for dinner as well as any other party;
yes, a mistake of the day is the best recipe I
know, for any invitation which you may
chance to hesitate about, and perhaps think
it possible you might like to accept, and
then having done so, repent of it when the
time comes--a mistake in the day sets all
right. You are _au desespoir_, and _they_ must
believe you, or make themselves appear ridiculous;
it may indeed cost you a note or two,
but that is the worst of it, and then _vous en
êtes quitte pour la vie_."
Lady Glenmore, who had been so astonished
hitherto that she could not reply, now
found herself called upon to make some answer,
as there was a pause on the part of
Lady Tenderden.
"You have told me so many things," she
said, "my dear Lady Tenderden" (smiling
as she spoke), "that I am afraid I shall never
remember the half of them, particularly as
they are upon subjects which, to tell you the
truth, do not interest me much, if at all. One
thing you said, however, that was very kind,
and kindness is not lost upon me I can assure
you, which was the cordial expression with
which you wished me joy of my happiness. I
should indeed be ungrateful if I did not feel
warmly obliged to you; only you omitted in the
catalogue of my felicities, that, without which
there would be no felicity for me--I mean
my being the wife of Lord Glenmore; who,
had he not possessed any of the adventitious
advantages you enumerated, I should equally
have preferred to the whole world."
"Oh! _cela va sans dire_, of course such a
young and handsome husband is taken into
the account; but, my dear young friend, _vous
ne voulez pas vous donner des ridicules_, much
less render your husband the laughing-stock
of all the world, by setting yourself up with
him _en scène de Berger et Bergere_; besides,
permit me to say, that is just the way to lose
him. If you are always at his elbow, watching
him _en furet_, depend upon it he will soon
think you are jealous, and following him out
of curiosity. Now there is nothing a man can
so ill bear as the idea of being watched, particularly
by a wife; besides, all his male friends
would avoid him if they saw he had such an
Argus--for, beautiful as you are, you must not
have an hundred eyes, to spy out every thing
your husband does; no no, my dear, when
you are _en tête-à-tête_, it is all well enough, this
new-married fondness; but it will soon evaporate,
take my word for it, and then you
will be dying to break the troublesome habit
_de part et d'autre_, and will not know how to
set about it: take great care, _ma chère ladi_, to
begin as you mean to go on."
"Certainly," replied Lady Glenmore, "I
have but one meaning, one intention--that is,
to love and be loved; and I shall never, I
hope, do any thing which can run counter to
that prime business, that prime duty of my
life."
"Oh!" cried Lady Tenderden, perceiving
she had gone too far, "it is quite delightful
to hear you. You are, I am sure, destined to
be a phœnix" (sneeringly); "and proud indeed
must any woman be to view one of her
own sex so well calculated to be a glory and
honour to it. I was only warning you against
certain appearances, certain misapprehensions,
which persons of your turn of mind are
liable to fall into, and which might be the
very means of depriving you of that which
you are so anxious to retain. I know the
world, believe me, my dear young friend,
and there is nothing in it I can so ill endure to
see, as an assumption of a happiness which is
out of the common line. If you enjoy such a
superlative felicity, _tant mieux pour vous_, but
do not make an _étalage_ of it, for either its
reality will be questioned, or they will take
care it shall not long be one; whereas if you
do as other people do, you will be allowed to
go on quietly, and you may perhaps carry on
this sort of romantic view of life much longer
than persons in general do."
Lady Glenmore, who had listened with
painful earnestness to this insidious advice,
now felt her heart swell, and the tears bursting
from her eyes. "And must I really,"
she said in a voice of suffocation, "pretend
to be indifferent to my husband, in order to
retain his love?"
"Certainly, my dear child; _peut on être si
enfant_" (observing her emotion), "as to allow
yourself to be thus moved about such a trifle;
take my advice, and you will never lose that
sort of hold over his affections which it is so
charming, I allow, to possess. Shew him
that you can have other men at your feet--that
you are not, in short, dependent upon
him for any thing _faites vous un sort_, in short,
_et vous ne vous en répentirez pas_."
"And pray, how am I to set about this
sort of life?"
"Why nothing so easy; simply, go constantly
out, and take care to have one or two
young men _de la première volée_ always about
you; never be reduced to be handed out or into
any public place by Lord Glenmore; only
now and then _pour faire beau voir_, and to
shew that you have _des procédés honnêtes_
one to the other--or else _par hasard_, but
never as a thing of course. Another point
is, you must establish an apartment of your
own; for you cannot think between married
persons how necessary that is, and what an
independence it gives to both. It is so very
disagreeable to have the exact moment of
our going in and coming out commented
upon."
"Dear no, pardon me, not at all. I am always
glad when Lord Glenmore says, 'Where
have you been so long, Georgina?' because
that shews he misses me."
"Oh, of course," said Lady Tenderden, as
she always said when she did not know what
to say; and inwardly she thought what a
world of nature must here be overturned, before
any thing artificial can be sown in such a
soil! "Well, my dear Lady Glenmore, you
come to the Hamlet Vernon's to-morrow
night?"
"Yes, I believe so; that is to say, if Lord
Glenmore is disengaged."
"Now really we shall all be afraid of such
a paragon of love and obedience; or what is
worse, we shall all laugh at you if you give
_tête baissé_ into that sort of ultra propriety.
What can Lord Glenmore's engagements have
to do with your coming or not coming to
Lady Hamlet Vernon's?" Lady Glenmore
blushed, and confessed that she did not wish
to go out if Lord Glenmore did not.
"Well, my dear, I see the terrible re-action
in perspective which must succeed to all this
red-hot love; and it is mighty well for the
moment; only you are laying up, _croyez moi_,
a store of discontent and dissatisfaction for
yourself."
At this moment a servant entered, and laid
a visiting card on the table. "Oh, Mr. Leslie
Winyard," said Lady Tenderden, taking it up,
"a vastly agreeable creature: you will let
him in of course."
"No," answered Lady Glenmore, "the
only thing Lord Glenmore does not wish me
to do, as a young married woman, is to receive
young men as morning visitors, and I
have no wish to disobey him; therefore Mr.
Leslie Winyard has been included in the general
order I gave to that effect."
"_Je tombe de mon haut_; well, certainly, I
never should have guessed that Lord Glenmore,
that handsome, young, gay Lothario,
would have turned out such a tyrant; and to
commence before the honey-moon be well
nigh over to shew the cloven-foot of _husbandism_,
is really putting a seal to that tyranny
with a vengeance! And he--he too, of _all persons_,
to pretend--but I believe that is always
the way, these men _à bonnes fortunes_ do always
make the most insufferable husbands."
"I am sure," replied Lady Glenmore, with
an air of offended dignity which astonished
Lady Tenderden, "I am sure Lord Glenmore
desires nothing of me but what he conceives
is for my own happiness; and I am perfectly
willing to obey him in every thing, far less
in such a matter of indifference as this."
Her cheeks here grew redder and redder during
every word of Lady Tenderden's insidious
speech. The melancholy, uneasy expression,
nevertheless, which in despite of herself
threw a cast of restless inquiry into her countenance,
as though she would have asked "to
what do you allude?" did not pass unobserved
by Lady Tenderden, and she conceived it to
be a good time to let the poison work which
she had thus insidiously distilled; so she arose
to take her leave, and with apparent carelessness
said, "_Au reste_, remember," and she
spoke in a soothing tone of commiseration,
as if she wished, were it possible, to have
withdrawn, or at least to soften the words she
had uttered, "remember, Lord Glenmore is
not a bit worse than other men, they are all
alike; and really I think him singularly agreeable,
so do not let any thing I have said give
you a moment's uneasiness."
She knew the rankling arrow was in Lady
Glenmore's heart. "You have nothing to do
but to take your own way, and keep it well
in mind that all husbands take theirs, and
my word for it, if you only follow this counsel,
you will live _en Tourtereaux_, and lead a very
happy life."
"I have no doubt I shall do that," said
Lady Glenmore, half-crying.
"Believe me, _cher enfant_, whenever you
feel the least melancholy or uneasy, send for
me, and I shall put all to rights for you in a
moment; you are a delightful, an unique
creature; I really love you, and him too; you
know, he was my play-fellow when we were
children, therefore I take a particular interest
in you both, and am alike the friend of each.
Come, dry these beauteous eyes, whose brightness
ought not to be dimmed by a tear; come,
take a drive with me in the Park." Lady
Glenmore hesitated as she replied:
"I expect Lord Glenmore every moment;
he promised to drive me in his phaeton. He
was to have been here an hour ago" (looking
anxiously at the clock).
"Well, then, if he is an hour after his
appointment, you would not surely wait for
him any longer? Depend upon it he has been
engaged by some business, or it may be love
of virtù or politics, _que sçai-je_--come let us go
and look for him; my life for it we shall meet
him in the Park."
"Perhaps so," said the youthful Georgina
with a sigh, who evidently assented to Lady
Tenderden's proposal for no other reason than
that the hope might be realized;--and ordering
the servant who answered her bell, to
tell her maid to arrange her shawl, she followed
her _friend_ to her carriage.
When they reached the Park her eyes
wandered from one figure to another in quest
of Lord Glenmore; in vain--the admiration
of the passing throng who courted her attention
had no attraction for her, she saw
not the only object she wished to see, and
returned wearied and dispirited, notwithstanding
all Lady Tenderden's endeavours to
amuse and dissipate her thoughts. The moment
she came home, however, she had the
satisfaction of finding her husband already
there, and she scarcely waited to say adieu to
Lady Tenderden before she flew up stairs to
him. After her first greeting, he asked her
where and with whom she had been; and on
telling him, he said, "I am glad, love, that
you like Lady Tenderden, for she has a thousand
good qualities;" (_a façon de parler_ by the
way, which is often taken upon trust from
one month to another, and frequently bears
no true meaning.) Lord Glenmore continued:
"Yes, she has a thousand good qualities, and
is very clever and agreeable in her way, and
has that perfect _usage du monde_ which has
so much charm, and which besides may
be of real advantage to a young person
like yourself entering on the scene; I am
quite rejoiced that she is your friend. It is
true she sometimes overpasses that line of _retenue_
which I might like my young wife to
observe; yet she has never been charged with
any real fault, and in adopting what is best,
you can leave out such parts of her manners
and conduct as may not exactly suit your
age and taste. In short, I think she is a very
useful acquaintance, and you may safely listen
to her advice respecting your conduct in the
world; but after a little experience, my sweet
Georgina, you may make your own choice of
intimates, and I am sure that selection will
always be well and wisely made."
Lady Glenmore listened attentively to her
husband, and sighed as she recalled to mind
the nature of the advice which she had
already received; but thought, "well, then,
Lady Tenderden was right after all, and I
must not tell Glenmore. How childish and
silly I was in having been so vexed about his
not coming home this morning,--still less
must I tell him of her cautioning me against
pursuing him, for should he know that I had a
thought of doing so, it might probably produce
the effect she predicted."
With this idea thus unfortunately impressed
upon her mind by what her husband had
unthinkingly said, Lady Glenmore remained
silent. The hour of dressing now called them
to their toilette, and the subject was not at
that time renewed.