On this occasion Mr. and Mrs. Hittaway were the guests of old Lady
Pierrepoint in Dumfries. There was nothing special to recommend Lady
Pierrepoint except that she had a large house and a good income, and that
she liked to have people with her of whom everybody knew something. So far
was Lady Pierrepoint from being high in the Hittaway world, that Mrs.
Hittaway felt herself called upon to explain to her friends that she was
forced to go to Dumdum House by the duties of old friendship. Dear old
Lady Pierrepoint had been insisting on it for the last ten years. And
there was this advantage, that Dumfriesshire is next to Ayrshire, that
Dumdum was not very far--some twenty or thirty miles--from Portray, and
that she might learn something about Lizzie Eustace in her country house.
It was nearly the end of August when the Hittaways left London to stay an
entire month with Lady Pierrepoint. Mr. Hittaway had very frequently
explained his defalcation as to fashion--in that he was remaining in
London for three weeks after Parliament had broken up--by the peculiar
exigencies of the Board of Appeals in that year. To one or two very
intimate friends Mrs.
Pages:
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500