Mrs. Belmont was proud of having a titled lady her guest. "Absolutely, my dear," she said, when writing to Lady Wilmot, "her ladyship is an inmate of our house, and is as quiet and easy as if it was yourself; who certainly are a lady too, but your husband is no lord, as her's was' and she is to have another lord for her husband, and is, besides, the mother of a lord; but as I was saying, she is quiet and easy but not so her woman, who is as troublesome a wench as ever entered a house. "Oh! mem ," said she to me, on their first coming, " I always has a fire in my room, and I'se cannot bear the windor open; as I have the rheumatis in my harm , and the hair always brings it on ." Thus she goes on, like all folks on the other side of the water, clipping the king's English; and then she has such blarney to her lady -- her lady the countess that is to be. "
Mrs. Belmont was proud of having a titled lady her guest. "Absolutely, my dear," she said, when writing to Lady Wilmot, "her ladyship is an inmate of our house, and is as quiet and easy as if it was yourself; who certainly are a lady too, but your husband is no lord, as her's was' and she is to have another lord for her husband, and is, besides, the mother of a lord; but as I was saying, she is quiet and easy but not so her woman, who is as troublesome a wench as ever entered a house. "Oh! mem ," said she to me, on their first coming, " I always has a fire in my room, and I'se cannot bear the windor open; as I have the rheumatis in my harm , and the hair always brings it on ." Thus she goes on, like all folks on the other side of the water, clipping the king's English; and then she has such blarney to her lady -- her lady the countess that is to be. "
"Oh, my dear Miss Sybella! you must be deceived -- be assured her ladyship would not listen to a declaration of love from him!" said Mrs. Belmont, pale with anger; yet afraid of further irritating Sybella. "He dared not offend her delicacy with such talk; and no disparagement to you, Miss Sybella, but you know your lugs are not quite right ; and --" " My what! ma'am -- lugs , do you say? I suppose that is one of your Irish expressions. " " Well , miss; in plain English I mean to say , that as your ears are bothered , my Bobby might have been talking of you; and you, knowing listeners never hear good of themselves, set it all down to the count of her ladyship."
"Oh, my dear Miss Sybella! you must be deceived -- be assured her ladyship would not listen to a declaration of love from him!" said Mrs. Belmont, pale with anger; yet afraid of further irritating Sybella. "He dared not offend her delicacy with such talk; and no disparagement to you, Miss Sybella, but you know your lugs are not quite right ; and --" " My what! ma'am -- lugs , do you say? I suppose that is one of your Irish expressions. " " Well , miss; in plain English I mean to say , that as your ears are bothered , my Bobby might have been talking of you; and you, knowing listeners never hear good of themselves, set it all down to the count of her ladyship."
Mrs. Belmont replied in the affirmative; and continued -- "The poor boy came to me quite disconsolate, and in order to raise his spirits, I took him to visit an old friend, whom I had not seen for these twenty years, Mrs. Liddel. Well, we had a power of chat , and Watty sat all the time patient enough; at last she asked me to take some refreshment after my walk: I refused as I never lunched, and was as full as a tick , after the grand breakfast I had eat with your ladyship; upon which, she said, making a pretty endearing voice; -- 'Perhaps I can prevail on little master to eat some bread and jam?' I laughed, and said those days were over with him: the lady looked shocked; Watty turned red and pale with mortification; and he has not held up his head since; nothing but the myrtle crown can console him."
"You shall hear. -- 'What's all this for?' asked he. God bless your honour! it's for Patrick's liberty; he is as likely a youth as ever you see; but he went mad for the love of me! and then, when his sinses were gone, he did the foolishest thing in the varsal world -- deserted his old father and mother, and went forsooth a sodgering ! But what call can your honour or the king have to him now, when he has lost his sinses ? " "Did the poor man really go mad?" inquired Louisa. "Mad, indeed! But to make my long story short," continued Judy, " they made great divarsion at my saying Pat was mad; and seemed to think me mighty cute ; and they said I was a beautiful crature -- that was their word; and that I might pass for a lady any day, with that proud toss of my head, which was mighty quality-like! That was when I hit the wallet a slap in the face for squeezing my hand."
At about eight o'clock the following morning, Louisa was awoke by a rough salutation from Judy, who stood at the foot of her bed, roaring out -- "Miss Lowsy ! Miss Lowsy! will you lie sleeping there all day? Your sweetheart has been walking by the lake this hour. A pretty thing if he throws himself in for grief at your not appearing! Indeed he all as one as said as much; and axed me if I bees your servant ; but I tould him flat as how I bees nobody's servant , excepting, do you see, I sarved them for mere love and affection. After that fashion I am your servant since I was no bigger than a twopenny pipkin , and for certain , I may say, we knowed each other wince we were born. But that's true -- Aba-boo ! Miss! did you hear of the pullalue was in the house yesterday ?" -- continued Judith, with a contemptuous smile.
"I am happy, any how, that goes with her ," said Judith, wiping her eyes. " Troth , I pity the ould madam more than any of yese ; she is for all the world like that poor careful hin that cannot follow her young ducks into the pond: see! there she sits, full of terror, lest they can no more swim than herself; she has not the sinse like you, honey , to consider their natures, and that they are born to support themselves in water: no more is there any fear of my young mistress when she gets among the fine quality. The folks at the Park may say what they will in disparagment -- but she has a great blood as any one in the kingdom. She came here a little piccaniny , and was she not the head of us all?"
Louisa did not awake the next morning, until Judy (Mrs. Kelly's maid), burst into the room, with a large bundle, which she flung down. -- "So, Miss Lowsy ! a pretty time in the day for you to lie soaking ! Get up! and see what your good mother has sent you: -- as fine a suit of clothes as ever my two eyes did see! and indeed I never seed the like, except with the players last Spring-tide. -- Oh, dear!" exclaimed she, opening the parcel, and holding up the gown, "how it rustles and shines!" "What am I to do, Judy, with such old-fashioned clothes? -- Does my dear mother think I can wear them?" " Here's a bit of a note I put in my bosom; it will tell you all."
One said, -- " Upon my credit , I thinks it mighty quare sport, collecting them same lumps of stones!" Another wondered "one of his blood, and a ganius of his kind, would be after such low tricks: -- he had not, to be sure , far to stoop; but for such a mighty slight little man , it was a venturesome attempt!" The next inquired who the little lady lady was? and bet a wager, that she had shiners to fill the trunk on her back.