He made liberal proposals to Colonel Vaughan’s agents as regarded improvements and repairs, the house having been much neglected for some years; and in the course of a few months after his marriage with Netta, workmen of all kinds were employed in adorning Plas Abertewey for his expected arrival with his bride.

This did not take place, however, until the following spring, by which time the house and grounds were in as fine order as money could make them.  Howel sent down a person from London to superintend the work, and remained with Netta in Paris until it was nearly completed; then he brought her over to England, left her in London with his friends the Simpsons, and ran down into Wales, accompanied by Captain Dancy, who had been his companion during a great portion of his Paris trip.

They remained only a few days, and then returned to town to superintend the purchase of furniture, plate, and the various appurtenances of a country establishment, which were duly despatched to the charge d’affaires in the country, and vigilantly guarded by Mrs Griffith Jenkins, who took up her abode at Abertewey for the time being.

As bell-ringers do not pause to consider the cause and effect of the events they are ordered to commemorate, but rather think of the amount of money and liquid they are likely to receive for their labour, the chime of Llanfawr rang a merry peal when the future master and mistress of Plas Abertewey drove through the town.  There was, moreover, a small show of fireworks on the occasion.  Blue balls, crackers, rockets and the like blazed and hissed about to the no small danger of the thatched roofs of some of the houses.  Mrs Griffith Jenkins undrew her purse strings on that day, and the cheering and shouting were great as the bride and bridegroom appeared.  Howel bowed and smiled as all great men do on such occasions, and Netta laughed, and was proud.  One of the blue balls made the fine pair of horses that drew Howel’s new carriage take fright, but the London coachman showed the superiority of his driving by pulling them in’ and the crowd shouted amain.

Captain Dancy and Miss Simpson, who accompanied the pair, were duly impressed with the loyalty of Howel’s subjects, and were not particularly shown the little shop to which he owed their sudden devotion.  ‘Jenkins, the miser,’ was quite swallowed up in ’Howel Jenkins, Esq.,’ and ‘Netta Prothero, Glanyravon,’ was engulphed in his wife.  So goes the world.  Shout on, little boys, for so will it be when you are in your turn big men, and ’adore the rising, rather than the setting sun,’ as the French proverb hath it.

Fortunately, Abertewey was in the parish of Llanfawr, and some seven or eight miles from Glanyravon, therefore Mr and Mrs Prothero knew nothing of the demonstrations in honour of their children.

Mrs Griffith Jenkins received them, dressed in a new moire antique, quite in baronial style, under the portico of their dwelling, and the proper complement of retainers was in the background.  More shouts were heard from some of the immediate neighbours, who had gathered round the door to see the arrival; and as Netta alighted from her carriage, attired like a Paris doll, she felt that she was now a grand lady, and could conscientiously look down on Miss Rice Rice, and be on an equality with Miss Nugent.