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ON HIS WAY THROUGH THE WORLD 501
former lady much interested in a great Dutch cabinet, with a glass
cupboard and corpulent drawers. And that cabinet was, ere long,
carted off to Mrs. Brandon's, Thornhaugh Street ; and in that glass
cupboard there was presently to be seen a neat set of china for tea
and breakfast. The end was approaching. That event, with which
the third volume of the old novels used to close, was at hand. I
am afraid our young people can't drive off from St. George's in a
chaise and four, and that no noble relative will lend them his castle
for the honeymoon. Well : some people cannot drive to happiness,
even with four horses ; and other folks can reach the goal on foot.
My venerable Muse stoops down, unlooses her cothurnus with some
difficulty, and prepares to fling that old shoe after the pair.
Tell, venerable Muse ! what were the marriage gifts which friendship
provided for Philip and Charlotte ? Philip's cousin, Ringwood
Twysden, came simpering up to me at " Bays's Club " one afternoon,
and said : "I hear my precious cousin is going to marry. I think
I shall send him a broom to sweep a crossin'." I was nearly going
to say, " This was a piece of generosity to be expected from your
father's son ;" but the fact is, that I did not think of this withering
repartee until I was crossing St. James's Park on my way home,
when Twysden of course was out of ear-shot. A great number of
my best witticisms have been a little late in making their appearance
in the world. If we could but hear the unspoken jokes, how
we should all laugh ; if we could but speak them, how witty we
should be ! When you have left the room, you have no notion
what clever things I was going to say when you baulked me by
going away. Well, then, the fact is, the Twysden family gave
Philip nothing on his marriage, being the exact sum of regard which
they professed to have for him.
MRS. MAJOR MACWHIRTER gave the bride an Indian brooch,
representing the Taj Mahal at Agra, which General Baynes had
given to his sister-in-law in old days. At a later period, it is true,
Mrs. Mac asked Charlotte for the brooch back again ; but this was
when many family quarrels had raged between the relatives—quarrels
which to describe at length would be to tax too much the writer
and the readers of this history.
MRS. MUGFORD presented an elegant plated coffee-pot, six drawing-room
almanacs (spoils of the Pall Mall Gazette), and fourteen
richly cut jelly-glasses, most useful for negus if the young couple
gave evening parties ; for dinners they would not be able to afford.
MRS. BRANDON made an offering of two tablecloths and twelve
dinner napkins, most beautifully worked, and I don't know how
much house linen.
THE LADY OF THE PRESENT WRITER—Twelve tea-spoons in