The Visits of Elizabeth | Page 3

bad grammar and write
incoherently, and you don't quite approve of my style; but you see it is
just because I am in a hurry. I don't speak it; but if I must stop to think
of grammar and that, I should never get on to tell you what I am doing
here, so do, dear Mamma, try and bear it bravely. Well, everybody
came down to breakfast yesterday in a hat, and every one was late--that
is, every one who came down at all, the rest had theirs upstairs.
[Sidenote: The Cricket Match]
The cricket began, and it was really a bore. We sat in a tent, and all the
nice men were fielding (it is always like that), and the married lot sat
together, and talked about their clothes, and Lady Doraine read a book.
She is pretty too, but has big ears. Her husband is somewhere else, but
she does not seem to miss him; and the Rooses told me her hair used to
be black, and that they have not a penny in the world, so I think she
must be clever and nice to be able to manage her clothes so well. They
are perfectly lovely, and I heard her say her maid makes them.
Miss La Touche happened to be next me, so she spoke to me, and said
my hat was "too devey for words" (the blue one you got at Caroline's);
and by-and-by we had lunch, and at lunch Lord Valmond came and sat
by me, and so Mrs. Smith did too, and she gushed at me. He seemed
rather put out about something--I suppose it was having to field all the
time.--and she talked to him across me, and she called him "Harry" lots
of times, and she always says things that have another meaning. But
they all do that--repeat each other's Christian names in a sentence, I
mean--just like you said that middle-class people did when you were
young, so I am sure everything must have changed now.
Well, after lunch, all the people in the county seemed to come; some of
them had driven endless miles, and we sat apart, I suppose to let them
see how ordinary we thought them; and Lady Cecilia was hardly polite,
and the others were more or less rude; but presently something
happened--I don't know what--and the nice men had not to field any
more. Perhaps they could not stand it any longer, and so every one who

had been yawning woke up, and Mr. Wertz, who had been writing
letters all this time, appeared, and Lady Doraine made room for him
beside her, and they talked; and when our Eleven had drunk something
they came and lay on the grass near us, and we had such a nice time.
There is a beautiful man here, and his name is Sir Dennis Desmond,
and his grandfather was an Irish King, and he talks to me all the time,
and his mother looks at him and frowns; and I think it silly of her, don't
you? And if I were a man I wouldn't visit with my mother if she
frowned at me. Do you know her? She dresses as if she were as young
as I am. She had a blue muslin on this morning, and her hair is red with
green stripes in it, and she is all white with thick pink cheeks, and
across the room she doesn't look at all bad; but close! Goodness
gracious she looks a hundred! And I would much sooner have nice
white hair and a cap than look like that, wouldn't you? I'll finish this
when I come to bed.
[Sidenote: Sir Dennis Desmond]
12.30.--What do you think has happened? Sir Dennis sat beside me on
the sofa just as he did last night--but I forget, I have not yet told you of
yesterday and last night; but never mind now, I must get on. Well, he
said I was a perfect darling, but that he never could get a chance to say
a word to me alone, but that if I would only drop my glove outside my
door it would be all right; and I thought that such a ridiculous thing to
say, that I couldn't help laughing, and Lady Cecilia happened to be
passing, and so she asked me what I was laughing at, and so I told her
what he had said, and asked why? There happened to be a pause just
then and, as one has to speak rather loud to Lady Cecilia to attract her
attention, every one heard, and they all looked flabergasted; and then
all shrieked with laughter, and Sir Dennis said so crossly, "Little fool!"
and Lady Desmond simply glared at me, and Lady Cecilia said, "Really,