Refreshing tickets were left next morning at Lady St. James's with their
corners properly turned up; to do the thing better, separate tickets for
herself and for Miss Nugent were left for each member of the family;
and her civil messages, left with the footman, extended to the utmost
possibility of remainder. It had occurred to her lady-ship that for
Miss Somebody, THE COMPANION, of whom she had never in her life thought
before, she had omitted to leave a card last time, and she now left a
note of explanation; she further, with her rheumatic head and arm out of
the coach-window, sat, the wind blowing keen upon her, explaining to the
porter and the footman, to discover whether her former tickets had
gone safely up to Lady St. James; and on the present occasion, to make
assurance doubly sure, she slid handsome expedition money into the
servant's hand--'Sir, you will be sure to remember.'--'Oh certainly,
your ladyship!'
She well knew what dire offence has frequently been taken, what sad
disasters have occurred, in the fashionable world, from the neglect of
a porter in delivering, or of a footman in carrying up one of those
talismanic cards. But, in spite of all her manoeuvres, no invitation to
the party arrived next day.
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