Part 48 (2/2)
”To whom?” asked Lady Enville, with languid curiosity.
”To seven thousand pounds,” said Sir Thomas dryly; ”that is as much as I can make out of the lad's letter.”
The fifth epistle condescended to rather mere detail. Jack's _fiancee_ was the daughter of an Earl, and the niece by marriage of a Viscount.
She had a fortune of seven thousand pounds--that was the cream and chorus of the whole. But still it did not apparently occur to Jack that his friends at home might be interested to know the name of his beloved.
”What must we call her?” asked Blanche. ”We know not her name.”
”And we cannot say 'Mistress Jack,' sith she hath a t.i.tle,” added Sir Thomas.
”'My Lady Jack,'” laughingly suggested Rachel.
And ”Lady Jack” the bride was dubbed from that day forth.
The sixth letter was longer in coming. But when it came it was short and sweet. Jack's nuptials were to be solemnised on the following day, and he and his bride would start three days later for Enville Court.
There was a general flutter through the family.
”Dear heart! how was Jack donned? I would give a broad s.h.i.+lling to know!” said Rachel satirically. ”In white satin, trow, at the very least, with a mighty great F on his back, wrought in rubies.”
”F, Aunt Rachel!” repeated Blanche innocently. ”You mean E, surely.
What should F spell?”
”Thou canst spell aught thou wilt therewith, child,” said Rachel coolly, as she left the room.
”Sir Thomas, I pray you of money,” said Lady Enville, rousing up. ”We have nought fit to show.”
Sir Thomas glanced at his wife's flowing satin dress, trimmed with costly lace, and, like an unreasonable man, opined that it was quite good enough for anything; ”This!” exclaimed Lady Enville. ”Surely you cannot mean it, Sir Thomas. This gown is all rags, and hath been made these four years.”
Sir Thomas contemplated the dress again, with a rather puzzled face.
”I see not a patch thereon, Orige. Prithee, be all thy gowns rags?--and be Clare and Blanche in rags likewise?”
”Of course--not fit to show,” said the lady.
”It seemeth me, Orige, thou shouldst have had money aforetime. Yet I cannot wholly conceive it,--we went not to church in rags this last Sunday, without somewhat ail mine eyes. If we be going thus the next, prithee lay out in time to avoid the same.”
”Gramercy, Sir Thomas!--how do you talk!”
”Rachel,” said her brother, as she entered, ”how many new gowns dost thou need to show my Lady Jack?”
”I lack no new gowns, I thank thee, Tom. I set a new dowlas lining in my camlet but this last week. I would be glad of an hood, 'tis true, for mine is well worn; but that is all I need, and a mark [13 s.h.i.+llings and 4 pence] shall serve me.”
”Then thy charges be less than Orige, for she ensureth me that all her gowns be but rags, and so be Clare's, and the like by Blanche.”
”Lack-a-daisy!” cried Rachel. ”Call me an Anabaptist, if she hath not in her coffers two velvet gowns, and a satin, and a kersey, and three camlets--to say nought of velvet kirtles and other habiliments!”
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