Poor Lady Mabel was
at this time with Miss Cassewary at Grex, paying what she believed
would be a last visit to the old family home. Among the others
were two American girls, brought into that august society for the
sake of courtesy rather than of personal love. And there were two
other Palliser girls and a Scotch McCloskie cousin. The breakfast
was of course given by Mr Boncassen at his home in Brook Street,
where the bridal presents were displayed. And not only were they
displayed; but a list of them, with an approximate statement as to
their value, appeared in one or two of the next day's newspapers;--
as to which terrible sin against good taste neither was Mr or Mrs
Boncassen guilty. But in these days, in which such splendid things
were done on so very splendid a scale, a young lady cannot herself
lay out her friends' gifts so as to be properly seen by her
friends. Some well-skilled, well-paid hand is needed even for
that, and hence comes this public information on affairs which
should surely be private. In our grandmothers' time the happy
bride's happy mother herself compounded the cake;--or at any rate
the trusted housekeeper.
Pages:
1047
1048
1049
1050
1051
1052
1053
1054
1055
1056
1057
1058
1059
1060
1061
1062
1063
1064
1065
1066
1067
1068
1069
1070
1071