'What's the meaning of that?' said he, throwing over the table a letter with a Milan post-mark. Charlotte was a little frightened as she took it up, but her mind was relieved when she saw that it was merely the bill of their Italian milliner. The sum total was certainly large, but not so large as to create an important row.
'It's for our clothes, papa, for six months before we came here.
The three of us can't dress for nothing you know.'
'Nothing, indeed!' said he, looking at the figures, which in
Milanese denominations were certainly monstrous.
'The man should have sent it to me,' said Charlotte.
'I wish he had with all my heart—if you would have paid it. I see enough in it, to know that three quarters of it are for Madeline.'
'She has little else to amuse her, sir,' said Charlotte with true good nature.
'And I suppose he has nothing to amuse him,' said the doctor, throwing over another letter to his daughter. It was from some member of the family of Sidonia, and politely requested the father to pay a small trifle of L 700, being the amount of a bill discounted in favour of Mr Ethelbert Stanhope, and now overdue for a period of nine months.
Charlotte read the letter, slowly folded it up, and put it under the edge of the tea-tray.
'I suppose he has nothing to amuse him but discounting bills with
Jews. Does he think I'll pay that?'
'I am sure he thinks no such thing,' said she.