Vanity Fair | Page 9

duties as
governess in a private family.
Thus the world began for these two young ladies. For Amelia it was

quite a new, fresh, brilliant world, with all the bloom upon it. It was not
quite a new one for Rebecca--(indeed, if the truth must be told with
respect to the Crisp affair, the tart-woman hinted to somebody, who
took an affidavit of the fact to somebody else, that there was a great
deal more than was made public regarding Mr. Crisp and Miss Sharp,
and that his letter was in answer to another letter). But who can tell you
the real truth of the matter? At all events, if Rebecca was not beginning
the world, she was beginning it over again.
By the time the young ladies reached Kensington turnpike, Amelia had
not forgotten her companions, but had dried her tears, and had blushed
very much and been delighted at a young officer of the Life Guards,
who spied her as he was riding by, and said, "A dem fine gal, egad!"
and before the carriage arrived in Russell Square, a great deal of
conversation had taken place about the Drawing-room, and whether or
not young ladies wore powder as well as hoops when presented, and
whether she was to have that honour: to the Lord Mayor's ball she
knew she was to go. And when at length home was reached, Miss
Amelia Sedley skipped out on Sambo's arm, as happy and as handsome
a girl as any in the whole big city of London. Both he and coachman
agreed on this point, and so did her father and mother, and so did every
one of the servants in the house, as they stood bobbing, and curtseying,
and smiling, in the hall to welcome their young mistress.
You may be sure that she showed Rebecca over every room of the
house, and everything in every one of her drawers; and her books, and
her piano, and her dresses, and all her necklaces, brooches, laces, and
gimcracks. She insisted upon Rebecca accepting the white cornelian
and the turquoise rings, and a sweet sprigged muslin, which was too
small for her now, though it would fit her friend to a nicety; and she
determined in her heart to ask her mother's permission to present her
white Cashmere shawl to her friend. Could she not spare it? and had
not her brother Joseph just brought her two from India?
When Rebecca saw the two magnificent Cashmere shawls which
Joseph Sedley had brought home to his sister, she said, with perfect
truth, "that it must be delightful to have a brother," and easily got the

pity of the tender-hearted Amelia for being alone in the world, an
orphan without friends or kindred.
"Not alone," said Amelia; "you know, Rebecca, I shall always be your
friend, and love you as a sister--indeed I will."
"Ah, but to have parents, as you have--kind, rich, affectionate parents,
who give you everything you ask for; and their love, which is more
precious than all! My poor papa could give me nothing, and I had but
two frocks in all the world! And then, to have a brother, a dear brother!
Oh, how you must love him!"
Amelia laughed.
"What! don't you love him? you, who say you love everybody?"
"Yes, of course, I do--only--"
"Only what?"
"Only Joseph doesn't seem to care much whether I love him or not. He
gave me two fingers to shake when he arrived after ten years' absence!
He is very kind and good, but he scarcely ever speaks to me; I think he
loves his pipe a great deal better than his"--but here Amelia checked
herself, for why should she speak ill of her brother? "He was very kind
to me as a child," she added; "I was but five years old when he went
away."
"Isn't he very rich?" said Rebecca. "They say all Indian nabobs are
enormously rich."
"I believe he has a very large income."
"And is your sister-in-law a nice pretty woman?"
"La! Joseph is not married," said Amelia, laughing again.
Perhaps she had mentioned the fact already to Rebecca, but that young
lady did not appear to have remembered it; indeed, vowed and

protested that she expected to see a number of Amelia's nephews and
nieces. She was quite disappointed that Mr. Sedley was not married;
she was sure Amelia had said he was, and she doted so on little
children.
"I think you must have had enough of them at Chiswick," said Amelia,
rather wondering at the sudden tenderness on her friend's part; and
indeed in later days Miss Sharp would never have committed herself so
far as to advance opinions, the untruth of which would have been so
easily detected. But we must remember that she is