Even Miss Nancy's refusal of
her cousin Gilbert Osgood (on the ground solely that he was her
cousin), though it had grieved her aunt greatly, had not in the
least cooled the preference which had determined her to leave Nancy
several of her hereditary ornaments, let Gilbert's future wife be whom
she might.
Three of the ladies quickly retired, but the Miss Gunns were
quite content that Mrs Osgood's inclination to remain with her niece
gave them also a reason for staying to see the rustic beauty's
toilette. And it was really a pleasure- from the first opening of
the bandbox, where everything smelt of lavender and rose leaves, to
the clasping of the small coral necklace that fitted closely round her
little white neck. Everything belonging to Miss Nancy was of
delicate purity and nattiness: not a crease was where it had no
business to be, not a bit of her linen professed whiteness without
fulfilling its profession; the very pins on her pincushion were
stuck in after a pattern from which she was careful to allow no
aberration; and as for her own person, it gave the same idea of
perfect unvarying neatness as the body of a little bird. It is true
that her light-brown hair was cropped behind like a boy's, and was
dressed in front in a number of flat rings, that lay quite away from
her face; but there was no sort of coiffure that could make Miss
Nancy's cheek and neck look otherwise than pretty; and when at last
she stood complete in her silvery twilled silk, her lace tucker, her
coral necklace, and coral ear-drops, the Miss Gunns could see
nothing to criticize except her hands, which bore the traces of
butter-making, cheese-crushing, and even still coarser work.
Pages:
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144