Since the burial, we have been to see the play, where the leddies were
all in deep murning; but excepting that some had black gum-floors on
their heads, I saw leetil for admiration--only that bugles, I can ashure
you, are not worn at all this season; and surely this murning must be a
vast detrimint to bizness--for where there is no verietie, there can be
but leetil to do in your line. But one thing I should not forget, and
that is, that in the vera best houses, after tea and coffee after dinner,
a cordial dram is handed about; but likewise I could observe, that the
fruit is not set on with the cheese, as in our part of the country, but
comes, after the cloth is drawn, with the wine; and no such a thing as a
punch-bowl is to be heard of within the four walls of London.
Howsomever, what I principally notised was, that the tea and coffee is
not made by the lady of the house, but out of the room, and brought in
without sugar or milk, on servors, every one helping himself, and only
plain flimsy loaf and butter is served--no such thing as shortbread,
seed-cake, bun, marmlet, or jeelly to be seen, which is an okonomical
plan, and well worthy of adaptation in ginteel families with narrow
incomes, in Irvine or elsewhere.
But when I tell you what I am now going to say, you will not be surprizt
at the great wealth in London. I paid for a bumbeseen gown, not a bit
better than the one that was made by you that the sore calamity befell,
and no so fine neither, more than three times the price; so you see, Miss
Nanny, if you were going to pouse your fortune, you could not do better
than pack up your ends and your awls and come to London. But ye're far
better at home--for this is not a town for any creditable young woman
like you, to live in by herself, and I am wearying to be back, though
it's hard to say when the Doctor will get his counts settlet. I wish
you, howsomever, to mind the patches for the bed-cover that I was going
to patch, for a licht afternoon seam, as the murning for the king will no
be so general with you, and the spring fashons will be coming on to help
my gathering--so no more at present from your friend and well-wisher,
JANET PRINGLE.