I have not felt like writing; these last days have been so stodgy--sticky,
I was going to say. Endless infant talk. The methods of head nurses,
teething, the knavish tricks of nursemaids, patent foods, bottles,
bibs--everything. Enough to put one off forever from wishing to get
married. And Mary Mackintosh sitting there all out of shape, expounding
theories that can have no results in practice, as there could not be
worse-behaved children than hers.
They even try Lady Katherine, I can see, when the two eldest, who come in
while we are at breakfast each day, take the jam-spoon, or something
equally horrid, and dab it all over the cloth. Yesterday they put their
hands in the honey-dish which Mr. Montgomerie was helping himself to, and
then after smearing him (the "burrrs" were awful), they went round the
table to escape being caught, and fingered the backs of every one's chair
and the door-handle, so that one could not touch a thing without getting
sticky.
"Alexander, dearie," Mary said. "Alec must have his mouth wiped."
Poor Mr. Mackintosh had to get up and leave his breakfast, catch these
imps, and employ his table-napkin in vain.
"Take 'em up-stairs, do--burrrr," roared their fond grandfather.
"Oh, father, the poor darlings are not really naughty," Mary said,
offended. "I like them to be with us all as much as possible. I thought
they would be such a pleasure to you."
Upon which, hearing the altercation, both infants set up a yell of fear
and rage, and Alec, the cherub of four and a half, lay on the floor and
kicked and screamed until he was black in the face.
Mr. Mackintosh is too small to manage two, so one of the footmen had to
come and help him to carry them up to their nursery. Oh, I would not be in
his place for the world!
Malcolm is becoming so funny. I suppose he is attracted by me. He makes
kind of love in a priggish way whenever he gets the chance, which is not
often, as Lady Katherine contrives to send one of the girls with us on all
our walks; or if we are in the drawing-room, she comes and sits down
beside us herself. I am glad, as it would be a great bore to listen to a
quantity of it.
How silly of her, though! She can't know as much about men as even I do;
of course, it only makes him all the more eager.
It is quite an object-lesson for me. I shall be impossibly difficult
myself if I meet Mr. Carruthers again, as he has no mother to play these
tricks for him.
Lord Robert's answer came on Saturday afternoon. It was all done through
Lady Merrenden.
He will be delighted to come and shoot on Tuesday, to-morrow. Oh, I am so
glad, but I do wonder if I shall be able to make him understand not to say
anything about having been at Branches while I was there. Such a simple
thing, but Lady Katherine is so odd and particular.
The party is to be a large one--nine guns. I hope some will be amusing,
though I rather fear.
_Tuesday night._
It is quite late, nearly twelve o'clock, but I feel so wide awake I must
write.