"Thursday the 19th, Harriet," said Lady Cumnor, meditatively; "what
do you say to coming down to the Towers on the 18th, and helping me
over that long day. You could stay in the country till Monday, and
have a few days' rest and good air; you would return a great deal
fresher to the remainder of your gaieties. Your father would bring
you down, I know: indeed, he is coming naturally."
"Oh, mamma!" said Lady Harriet, the youngest daughter of the
house--the prettiest, the most indulged; "I cannot go; there's the
water-party up to Maidenhead on the 20th, I should be so sorry to
miss it: and Mrs. Duncan's ball, and Grisi's concert; please, don't
want me. Besides, I should do no good. I can't make provincial
small-talk; I'm not up in the local politics of Hollingford. I should
be making mischief, I know I should."
"Very well, my dear," said Lady Cumnor, sighing, "I had forgotten the
Maidenhead water-party, or I would not have asked you."
"What a pity it isn't the Eton holidays, so that you could have had
Hollingford's boys to help you to do the honours, mamma. They are
such affable little prigs. It was the greatest fun to watch them last
year at Sir Edward's, doing the honours of their grandfather's house
to much such a collection of humble admirers as you get together at
the Towers. I shall never forget seeing Edgar gravely squiring about
an old lady in a portentous black bonnet, and giving her information
in the correctest grammar possible."
"Well, I like those lads," said Lady Cuxhaven; "they are on the way
to become true gentlemen. But, mamma, why shouldn't you have Clare to
stay with you? You like her, and she is just the person to save you
the troubles of hospitality to the Hollingford people, and we should
all be so much more comfortable if we knew you had her with you."
"Yes, Clare would do very well," said Lady Cumnor; "but isn't it her
school-time or something? We must not interfere with her school so
as to injure her, for I am afraid she is not doing too well as it is;
and she has been so very unlucky ever since she left us--first her
husband died, and then she lost Lady Davies' situation, and then Mrs.
Maude's, and now Mr. Preston told your father it was all she could
do to pay her way in Ashcombe, though Lord Cumnor lets her have the
house rent-free."
"I can't think how it is," said Lady Harriet. "She's not very wise,
certainly; but she is so useful and agreeable, and has such pleasant
manners, I should have thought any one who wasn't particular about
education would have been charmed to keep her as a governess."