United States or Greece ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"She is as generous with her money as with her diamonds perhaps," said Barold. "Possibly the quality is peculiar to Nevada. We part here, Mr. Poppleton, I believe. Good-morning." One morning in the following week Mrs. Burnham attired herself in her second-best black silk, and, leaving the Misses Burnham practising diligently, turned her steps toward Oldclough Hall.
She wanted to reach Oldclough before one whit of her anger cooled down; though, somehow, she felt quite sure, that, even when her anger died out, her courage would not take flight with it. Mr. Dugald Binnie had not proved to be a very fascinating person. He was an acrid, dictatorial old man: he contradicted Lady Theobald flatly every five minutes, and bullied his man-servant.
This comparatively tame version was, however, entirely discarded when the diamonds and silver-mines began to figure more largely in the reports. Certainly, pretty, overdressed, jewel-bedecked Octavia gave Slowbridge abundant cause for excitement. After leaving her, Lady Theobald drove home to Oldclough Hall, rather out of humor.
A tea at Lady Theobald's house constituted formal presentation to the Slowbridge world. Each young lady within the pale of genteel society, having arrived at years of discretion, on returning home from boarding-school, was invited to tea at Oldclough Hall. During an entire evening she was the subject of watchful criticism.
"I feel it the civil thing to go to Oldclough oftener than I like. Go with me." "I should like to be included in all the invitations to tea for the next six months." "I shall be included in all the invitations so long as I remain here; and it is not likely you will be left out in the cold. After you have gone the rounds once, you won't be dropped." "Upon the whole, it appears so," said Mr.
Making a call at Oldclough, he found his august relative in a very majestic mood, and she applied to him again for information. "Perhaps," she said, "you may be able to tell me whether it is true that Belinda Bassett Belinda Bassett," with emphasis, "has been invited by Mr. Burmistone to assist him to receive his guests." "Yes, it is true," was the reply: "I think I advised it myself.
He had spent very little of his married life at Oldclough Hall, and upon his death his widow had found herself possessed of a substantial, gloomy mansion, an exalted position in Slowbridge society, and a small marriage-settlement, upon which she might make all the efforts she chose to sustain her state.
He did not feel it at all incumbent upon him to remain at Oldclough Hall, and subject himself to the time-honored customs there in vogue. He preferred to accept Mr. Burmistone's invitation to become his guest at the handsome house he had just completed, in which he lived in bachelor splendor. Accordingly he installed himself there, and thereby complicated matters greatly.
"I stand rather in awe of Lady Theobald, as any ordinary man would," he had said dryly to Barold, on their return to his house. "But my awe of her is not so great yet that I shall allow it to interfere with any of my plans." "Have you any especial plan?" inquired Barold carelessly, after a pause. "Yes," answered Mr. Burmistone, "several. I should like to go to Oldclough rather often."
Barold has not been to Oldclough for several days." "Then, he will tell you when he comes; for I suppose he has as much to do with it as Mr. Burmistone." "I have heard before," announced my lady, "of men of Mr.
Word Of The Day