This piece of history, with Sir Charles's remarks upon it, brought them into Bath. Their lodgings being provided beforehand, the ladies retired to their different chambers, to repose themselves after the fatigue of their journey, and did not meet again till supper was on table; when Miss Glanville, who had eagerly enquired what company was then in the place, and heard there were a great many persons of fashion just arrived, pressed Arabella to go to the pump-room the next morning, assuring her she would find a very agreeable amusement.
Arabella accordingly consented to accompany her; and being told the ladies went in a undress of a morning, she accommodated herself to the custom, and went in a negligent dress; but instead of a capuchin, she wore something like a veil, of black gauze, which covered almost all her face, and part of her waist, and gave her a very singular appearance.
Miss Glanville was too envious of her cousin's superiority in point of beauty, to inform her of any oddity in her dress, which she thought might expose her to the ridicule of those that saw her; and Mr. Glanville was too little a critic in ladies' apparel, to be sensible that Arabella was not in the fashion; and since every thing she wore became her extremely, he could not choose but think she dressed admirably well: he handed her therefore, with a great deal of satisfaction, into the pump-room, which happened to be greatly crowded that morning.
The attention of most part of the company was immediately engaged by the appearance Lady Bella made. Strangers are here most strictly criticised, and every new object affords a delicious feast of raillery and scandal.
The ladies, alarmed at the singularity of her dress, crowded together in parties; and the words, Who can she be? Strange creature! Ridiculous! and other exclamations of the same kind, were whispered very intelligibly.
The men were struck with her figure, veiled as she was: her fine stature, the beautiful turn of her person, the grace and elegance of her motion, attracted all their notice. The phænomenon of the veil, however, gave them great disturbance. So lovely a person seemed to promise the owner had a face not unworthy of it; but that was totally hid from their view: for Arabella, at her entrance into the room, had pulled the gauze quite over her face, following therein the custom of the ladies in Clelia, and the Grand Cyrus, who, in mixed companies, always hid their faces with great care.
The wits and pretty fellows railed at the envious covering, and compared her to the sun obscured by a cloud; while the beaux dem'd the horrid innovation, and expressed a fear, lest it should grow into a fashion.
Some of the wiser sort took her for a foreigner; others, of still more sagacity, supposed her a Scots lady, covered with her plaid; and a third sort, infinitely wiser than either, concluded she was a Spanish nun, that had escaped from a convent, and had not yet quitted her veil.
Arabella, ignorant of the diversity of opinions to which her appearance gave rise, was taken up in discoursing with Mr. Glanville upon the medicinal virtue of the springs, the economy of the baths, the nature of the diversions, and such other topics as the objects around them furnished her with.
In the mean time, Miss Glanville was got amidst a crowd of her acquaintance, who had hardly paid the civilities of a first meeting, before they eagerly enquired who that lady she brought with her was.