Wives and Daughters: An Every-Day Story - Page 237/572

"Dear-ah-me! Is she really! Do you know I never saw a duchess

before." And Miss Piper drew herself up and craned her neck, as if

resolved to "behave herself properly," as she had been taught to

do at boarding-school thirty years before, in the presence of "her

grace." By-and-by she said to Miss Phoebe, with a sudden jerk out

of position,--"Look, look! that's our Mr. Cholmley, the magistrate"

(he was the great man of Coreham), "and that's Mrs. Cholmley in red

satin, and Mr. George and Mr. Harry from Oxford, I do declare; and

Miss Cholmley, and pretty Miss Sophy. I should like to go and speak

to them, but then it's so formidable crossing a room without a

gentleman. And there is Coxe the butcher and his wife! Why all

Coreham seems to be here! And how Mrs. Coxe can afford such a gown I

can't make out for one, for I know Coxe had some difficulty in paying

for the last sheep he bought of my brother."

Just at this moment the band, consisting of two violins, a harp, and

an occasional clarionet, having finished their tuning, and brought

themselves as nearly into accord as was possible, struck up a brisk

country-dance, and partners quickly took their places. Mrs. Gibson

was secretly a little annoyed at Cynthia's being one of those

to stand up in this early dance, the performers in which were

principally the punctual plebeians of Hollingford, who, when a ball

was fixed to begin at eight, had no notion of being later, and so

losing part of the amusement for which they had paid their money. She

imparted some of her feelings to Molly, sitting by her, longing to

dance, and beating time to the spirited music with one of her pretty

little feet.

"Your dear papa is always so very punctual! To-night it seems almost

a pity, for we really are here before there is any one come that we

know."

"Oh! I see so many people here that I know. There are Mr. and Mrs.

Smeaton, and that nice good-tempered daughter."

"Oh! booksellers and butchers if you will."

"Papa has found a great many friends to talk to."

"Patients, my dear--hardly friends. There are some nice-looking

people here," catching her eye on the Cholmleys; "but I daresay they

have driven over from the neighbourhood of Ashcombe or Coreham, and

have hardly calculated how soon they would get here. I wonder when

the Towers' party will come. Ah! there's Mr. Ashton, and Mr. Preston.

Come, the room is beginning to fill."

So it was, for this was to be a very good ball, people said; and a

large party from the Towers was coming, and a duchess in diamonds

among the number. Every great house in the district was expected to

be full of guests on these occasions; but at this early hour, the

townspeople had the floor almost entirely to themselves; the county

magnates came dropping in later; and chiefest among them all was the

lord-lieutenant from the Towers. But to-night they were unusually

late, and the aristocratic ozone being absent from the atmosphere,

there was a flatness about the dancing of all those who considered

themselves above the plebeian ranks of the tradespeople. They,

however, enjoyed themselves thoroughly, and sprang and bounded

till their eyes sparkled and their cheeks glowed with exercise and

excitement. Some of the more prudent parents, mindful of the next

day's duties, began to consider at what hour they ought to go home;

but with all there was an expressed or unexpressed curiosity to

see the duchess and her diamonds; for the Menteith diamonds were

famous in higher circles than that now assembled; and their fame

had trickled down to it through the medium of ladies'-maids and

housekeepers. Mr. Gibson had had to leave the ball-room for a time,

as he had anticipated, but he was to return to his wife as soon as

his duties were accomplished; and, in his absence, Mrs. Gibson kept

herself a little aloof from the Miss Brownings and those of her

acquaintance who would willingly have entered into conversation with

her, with the view of attaching herself to the skirts of the Towers'

party, when they should make their appearance. If Cynthia would not

be so very ready in engaging herself to every possible partner who

asked her to dance, there were sure to be young men staying at the

Towers who would be on the look-out for pretty girls: and who could

tell to what a dance might lead? Molly, too, though not so good a

dancer as Cynthia, and, from her timidity, less graceful and easy,

was becoming engaged pretty deeply; and, it must be confessed,

she was longing to dance every dance, no matter with whom. Even

she might not be available for the more aristocratic partners Mrs.

Gibson anticipated. She was feeling very much annoyed with the whole

proceedings of the evening when she was aware of some one standing by

her; and, turning a little to one side, she saw Mr. Preston keeping

guard, as it were, over the seats which Molly and Cynthia had just

quitted. He was looking so black that, if their eyes had not met,

Mrs. Gibson would have preferred not speaking to him; as it was, she

thought it unavoidable.