Let nobody dream that he
can be somebody without having to pay for that honour; unless, indeed, he
be a clergyman. When you go to a concert at Buckingham Palace you pay
nothing, it is true, for your ticket; and a Cabinet Minister dining with
you does not eat or drink more than your old friend Jones the attorney.
But in some insidious, unforeseen manner, in a way that can only be
understood after much experience, these luxuries of fashion do make a
heavy pull on a modest income. Mrs. Hittaway knew this thoroughly, having
much experience, and did make her fight bravely. For Mr. Hittaway's income
was no more than modest. A few thousand pounds he had of his own when he
married, and his Clara had brought to him the unpretending sum of fifteen
hundred. But, beyond that, the poor official salary--which was less than
what a decent grocer would make--was their all. The house in Warwick
Square they had prudently purchased on their marriage--when houses in
Warwick Square were cheaper than they are now--and there they carried on
their battle, certainly with success. But two thousand a year does not go
very far in Warwick Square, even though you sit rent free, if you have a
family and absolutely must keep a carriage.
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