“You are very late to-day, my love,” cried the mortified husband.

“I have been pestered for the last hour with Duval and the court dresses, and I could not fix on what I should like.”

“I think you might have deferred the ceremony of choosing to another opportunity.  General Cameron has been here above an hour.”

“Dear!  I hope you did not wait for me.  I shall be quite shocked!” drawled out her ladyship in a tone denoting how very indifferent the answer would be to her.

“I beg your ladyship would be under no uneasiness on that account,” replied the General in an ironical tone, which, though lost upon her, was obvious enough to Henry.

“Have you breakfasted?” asked Lady Juliana, exerting herself to be polite.

“Absurd, my love!” cried her husband.  “Do you suppose I should have allowed the General to wait for that too all this time, if he had not breakfasted many hours ago?”

“How cross you are this morning, my Harry!  I protest my Cupidon is quite ashamed of your grossierete! “

A servant now entered to say Mr. Shagg was come to know her ladyship’s final decision about the hammer-cloths; and the new footman was come to be engaged; and the china merchant was below.

“Send up one of them at a time; and as to the footman, you may say I’ll have him at once,” said Lady Juliana.

“I thought you had engaged Mrs. D.’s footman last week.  She gave him the best character, did she not?” asked her husband.

“Oh yes! his character was good enough; but he was a horrid cheat for all that.  He called himself five feet nine, and when he was measured he turned out to be only five feet seven and a half.”

“Pshaw!” exclaimed Henry angrily.  “What the devil did that signify if the man had a good character?”

“How absurdly you talk, Harry, as if a man’s character signified who has nothing to do but to stand behind my carriage!  A pretty figure he’d made there beside Thomas, who is at least five feet ten!”

The entrance of Mr. Shagg, bowing and scraping, and laden with cloths, lace, and fringes, interrupted the conversation.

“Well, Mr. Shagg,” cried Lady Juliana, “what’s to be done with that odious leopard’s skin?  You must positively take it off my hands.  I would rather never go in a carriage again as show myself in the Park with that frightful thing.”

“Certainly, my Lady,” replied the obsequious Mr. Shagg, “anything your Ladyship pleases; your Ladyship can have any hammer-cloth you like; and I have accordingly brought patterns of the very newest fashions for your Ladyship to make choice.  Here are some uncommon elegant articles.  At the same time, my Lady, your Ladyship must be sensible that it is impossible that we can take back the leopard’s skin.  It was not only cut out to fit your Ladyship’s coach-box—­and consequently your Ladyship understands it would not fit any other—­but the silver feet and crests have also been affixed quite ready for use, so that the article is quite lost to us.  I am confident, therefore, that your Ladyship will consider of this, and allow it to be put down in your bill.”