As the two girls entered the room, Mrs. Tomkin-Jones examined Winefred with a critical eye.
'Country made or mismade,' she said. '_Nous allons changer tout cela._ And now, my good Jose, may I offer you something to eat or to drink? We shall be going out for a drive in ten minutes, and I must haste with my dressing. I am so sorry that I did not think of this before. A biscuit now? A glass of sherry? No――then――excuse me, a cruel fate bears me away, a social necessity――I must dress before my drive. Trust me. I will do my best by the young lady, and when you see her again, you will find her transmuted.'
'Bless me! not dressed. I ordered it for three o'clock.'
'Dear, dear! the clock has stopped. Jesse, you forgot to wind it up last week.'
'It is always your duty when I forget to do it. I shall be ready instantly. Winefred――I understand that is your Christian name, and a very charming name it is――we will drop formality, and no more call you Miss Holwood――I will show you Bath, or the Bath, as it was wont to be called.'
'And the chemist's where the celebrated pill was compounded?' asked Jesse.
'My dear'――Mrs. Tomkin-Jones rose to her full height――'I hate profanity. Remember that your father wrote out the prescription, if you desire that your days may be long in the land. Now, Winefred, put on your things. Sylvana, are you coming?'
'No, mamma, not if I am to sit with my back to the horses.'
'You forget your breeding, child. A visitor, of course, sits beside me.'
'I know that, mamma, therefore I decline.'
'As you wish, mamma, and show to the admiring visitor the City of Bladud, Beau Nash, and of Tomkin-Jones.'
In a quarter of an hour the ladies were ready, and descended to the carriage.
This was a somewhat battered conveyance, let by the hour, drawn by a horse that had known better days, as had the chariot and the driver. The steed leaned forward, so that but for the counterpoise of the carriage he would have fallen headlong on his nose.
Thinking that the general aspect of the conveyance, driver, and steed, left something to be desired, Mrs. Tomkin-Jones said in her grandest manner, 'Everything may not be quite as might be desiderated, but I study safety above all else. It is my first consideration, and one is compelled to sacrifice appearances to that!'――she shrugged her shoulders――'I can rely on this chariot. The horse I have known never to fall, though it sometimes coughs. The coachman I knew by long acquaintance――I mean employment――as one who does not drink. One cannot be too cautious. An inebriate driver, even with the most sober horse, may do terrible things. Moreover, Baker is attached to the family by cords of gratitude, as he was attended in a case of considerable internal complication by my dear husband. The horse has good blood in him. Observe the nose and the hanging underlip――it was a characteristic of Charles the Fifth. Will you favour me by stepping in? The cushions and lining have a smell――a mouldy, damp, strange savour――but it is wholesome, and was particularly recommended by the dear doctor in cases of hay fever――from which I suffer.'