sufficient power to restrain
her talent and habit of ridicule, free from hope or fear, gave full
scope to all the malice of mockery, and all the insolence of fashion.
Her slings and arrows, numerous as they were and outrageous, were
directed against such petty objects, and the mischief was so quick,
in its aim and its operation, that, felt but not seen, it is scarcely
possible to register the hits, or to describe the nature of the wounds.
Some hits sufficiently palpable, however, were recorded for the
advantage of posterity. When Lady Clonbrony led her to look at the
Chinese pagoda, the lady paused, with her foot on the threshold, as
if afraid to enter this porcelain Elysium, as she called it—Fool's
Paradise, she would have said; and, by her hesitation, and by the
half-pronounced word, suggested the idea—'None but belles without
petticoats can enter here,' said she, drawing her clothes tight round
her; 'fortunately, I have but two, and Lady Langdale has but one.'
Prevailed upon to venture in, she walked on with prodigious care and
trepidation, affecting to be alarmed at the crowd of strange forms and
monsters by which she was surrounded.
'Not a creature here that I ever saw before in nature! Well, now I may
boast I've been in a real Chinese pagoda!'
'Why yes, everything is appropriate here, I flatter myself,' said Lady
Clonbrony.
'And how good of you, my dear Lady Clonbrony, in defiance of bulls and
blunders, to allow us a comfortable English fireplace and plenty
of Newcastle coal, in China!—And a white marble—no! white velvet
hearthrug, painted with beautiful flowers—oh, the delicate, the USEFUL
thing!'
Vexed by the emphasis on the word USEFUL, Lady Clonbrony endeavoured to
turn off the attention of the company. 'Lady Langdale, your ladyship's a
judge of china—this vase is an unique, I am told.'
'I am told,' interrupted Mrs. Dareville, 'this is the very vase in which
B—, the nabob's father, who was, you know, a China captain,
smuggled his dear little Chinese wife and all her fortune out of
Canton—positively, actually put the lid on, packed her up, and sent
her off on shipboard!—True! true! upon my veracity! I'll tell you my
authority!'
With this story Mrs. Dareville drew all attention from the jar, to Lady
Clonbrony's infinite mortification.
Lady Langdale at length turned to look at a vast range of china jars.
'Ali Baba and the forty thieves!' exclaimed Mrs. Dareville; 'I hope you
have boiling oil ready!'
Lady Clonbrony was obliged to laugh, and to vow that Mrs. Dareville was
uncommon pleasant to-night. 'But now,' said her ladyship, 'let me take
you on to the Turkish tent.'
Having with great difficulty got the malicious wit out of the pagoda and
into the Turkish tent, Lady Clonbrony began to breathe more freely;
for here she thought she was upon safe ground: 'Everything, I flatter
myself' said she, 'is correct and appropriate, and quite picturesque.'
The company, dispersed in happy groups, or reposing on seraglio
ottomans, drinking lemonade and sherbet beautiful Fatimas admiring,
or being admired—'Everything here quite correct, appropriate, and
picturesque,' repeated Mrs. Dareville.
This lady's powers as a mimic were extraordinary, and she found them
irresistible. Hitherto she had imitated Lady Clonbrony's air and accent
only behind her back; but, bolder grown, she now ventured, in spite of
Lady Langdale's warning pinches, to mimic her kind hostess before her
face, and to her face. Now, whenever Lady Clonbrony saw anything that
struck her fancy in the dress of her fashionable friends, she had a
way of hanging her head aside, and saying, with a peculiar sentimental
drawl—
'How pretty!—how elegant! Now that quite suits my TEESTE! This phrase,
precisely in the same accent, and with the head set to the same angle
of affectation, Mrs. Dareville had the assurance to address to her
ladyship, apropos to something which she pretended to admire in Lady
Clonbrony's COSTUME—a costume which,
her talent and habit of ridicule, free from hope or fear, gave full
scope to all the malice of mockery, and all the insolence of fashion.
Her slings and arrows, numerous as they were and outrageous, were
directed against such petty objects, and the mischief was so quick,
in its aim and its operation, that, felt but not seen, it is scarcely
possible to register the hits, or to describe the nature of the wounds.
Some hits sufficiently palpable, however, were recorded for the
advantage of posterity. When Lady Clonbrony led her to look at the
Chinese pagoda, the lady paused, with her foot on the threshold, as
if afraid to enter this porcelain Elysium, as she called it—Fool's
Paradise, she would have said; and, by her hesitation, and by the
half-pronounced word, suggested the idea—'None but belles without
petticoats can enter here,' said she, drawing her clothes tight round
her; 'fortunately, I have but two, and Lady Langdale has but one.'
Prevailed upon to venture in, she walked on with prodigious care and
trepidation, affecting to be alarmed at the crowd of strange forms and
monsters by which she was surrounded.
'Not a creature here that I ever saw before in nature! Well, now I may
boast I've been in a real Chinese pagoda!'
'Why yes, everything is appropriate here, I flatter myself,' said Lady
Clonbrony.
'And how good of you, my dear Lady Clonbrony, in defiance of bulls and
blunders, to allow us a comfortable English fireplace and plenty
of Newcastle coal, in China!—And a white marble—no! white velvet
hearthrug, painted with beautiful flowers—oh, the delicate, the USEFUL
thing!'
Vexed by the emphasis on the word USEFUL, Lady Clonbrony endeavoured to
turn off the attention of the company. 'Lady Langdale, your ladyship's a
judge of china—this vase is an unique, I am told.'
'I am told,' interrupted Mrs. Dareville, 'this is the very vase in which
B—, the nabob's father, who was, you know, a China captain,
smuggled his dear little Chinese wife and all her fortune out of
Canton—positively, actually put the lid on, packed her up, and sent
her off on shipboard!—True! true! upon my veracity! I'll tell you my
authority!'
With this story Mrs. Dareville drew all attention from the jar, to Lady
Clonbrony's infinite mortification.
Lady Langdale at length turned to look at a vast range of china jars.
'Ali Baba and the forty thieves!' exclaimed Mrs. Dareville; 'I hope you
have boiling oil ready!'
Lady Clonbrony was obliged to laugh, and to vow that Mrs. Dareville was
uncommon pleasant to-night. 'But now,' said her ladyship, 'let me take
you on to the Turkish tent.'
Having with great difficulty got the malicious wit out of the pagoda and
into the Turkish tent, Lady Clonbrony began to breathe more freely;
for here she thought she was upon safe ground: 'Everything, I flatter
myself' said she, 'is correct and appropriate, and quite picturesque.'
The company, dispersed in happy groups, or reposing on seraglio
ottomans, drinking lemonade and sherbet beautiful Fatimas admiring,
or being admired—'Everything here quite correct, appropriate, and
picturesque,' repeated Mrs. Dareville.
This lady's powers as a mimic were extraordinary, and she found them
irresistible. Hitherto she had imitated Lady Clonbrony's air and accent
only behind her back; but, bolder grown, she now ventured, in spite of
Lady Langdale's warning pinches, to mimic her kind hostess before her
face, and to her face. Now, whenever Lady Clonbrony saw anything that
struck her fancy in the dress of her fashionable friends, she had a
way of hanging her head aside, and saying, with a peculiar sentimental
drawl—
'How pretty!—how elegant! Now that quite suits my TEESTE! This phrase,
precisely in the same accent, and with the head set to the same angle
of affectation, Mrs. Dareville had the assurance to address to her
ladyship, apropos to something which she pretended to admire in Lady
Clonbrony's COSTUME—a costume which,
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