“Well, my dear, if they will, they must, and I can’t help it; only I must say it’ll be very ill-natured of them. I’m sure it’s a long time since they were asked to stay here.”
“As you say, mamma, at any rate we can ask them. And who comes next?”
“Why your father has put down the Swinburn people next; though I’m sure I don’t know how they are to come so far.”
“Why, mamma, the colonel is a martyr to the gout!”
“Yes, my lady,” said Griffiths, “and Mrs. Ellison is worse again, with rheumatics. There would be nothing to do, the whole time, but nurse the two of them.”
“Never mind, Griffiths; you’ll not have to nurse them, so you needn’t be so ill-natured.”
“Me, ill-natured, my lady? I’m sure I begs pardon, but I didn’t mean nothing ill-natured; besides, Mrs. Ellison was always a very nice lady to me, and I’m sure I’d be happy to nurse her, if she wanted it; only that, as in duty bound, I’ve your ladyship to look to first, and so couldn’t spare time very well for nursing any one.”
“Of course you couldn’t, Griffiths; but, Selina, at any rate you must ask the Ellisons: your papa thinks a great deal about the colonel—he has so much influence in the county, and Adolphus will very likely stand, now. Your papa and the colonel were members together for the county more than forty years since.”
“Well, mamma, I’ll write Mrs. Ellison. Shall I say for a week or ten days?”
“Say for ten days or a fortnight, and then perhaps they’ll stay a week. Then there’s the Bishop of Maryborough, and Mrs. Moore. I’m sure Adolphus will be glad to meet the bishop, for it was he that christened him.”