Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-07-10

furnishing and adorning it; but tn
mansion had still to be selected SO ou
first business was to find one to suit US
the next to get into 1t as soon as posi-
BILE.
We must have spent small fortun,
in cabhire before we finally found JUS
what we wanted even then, though tht
sirable, the rent rather frightened US il
was eighty guineas year unfurnished
but we should be so comfortable in it,
The smallness of its size-and it was ex'
| tremely small-was rather an advantage
than otherwise, as it would require sc
little furniture; and two maids would
be amply sufficient for our establish
ment, which in such place would be .
most creditable naendge.
| We were delighted with the house, the
balcony to the drawing room being, az
we enthusiastically agreed, almost worth
the rent itself; and we made no resis.
tance when the house agent. who must
| have had some amusement over our in
nocence and inexperience, fixed us for q
seven years lease, representing to us
that our advantages were almost un-
equalied, having no premium to pay
We cOnsented-in consideration of all
he enumerated in favor of our bargain
to make any repairs that were necessary;
and in fact were in such delight with
the whole affair that the agreement, as
might have been expected, was very
easily arrived at.
We knew nothing about furnishing /;
never dreamed of the daughters of green
world wood or in inevitable result of
cheap investment; thinking ourselves
| very acute to get hold of two furnishing
lists to compare prices; besides which
we sat down with paper and pencil to
calculate exactly how much we must
spend; and I, remembering Uncle Joce
lyn's advice, ventured to say we should
resolve not to go beyond it. We came
to the conclusion that actual necessaries
might be bought, taking the prices from
the books, for one hundred and fifty
pounds; SO Henry decided on borrow
ing two hundred pounds, with which
we felt sure the house could be nicely
done and this sum he was to pay inter-
est for until the principal itself was paid
off.
Nothing could have surpassed our
prudence-before we set out. When we
got into the shop we had selected as the
one to patronize, we found that the
things we had thought of were very in
ferior to our imaginings; trifie more
here and trifls there could make no
great difference in the sum total and be
everything to us in the niceness and
prettiness of our house besides which
our estimate Of necessaries proved very
inadequate one when innumerable ct
cetras were declared absolutely indis-
pensable by the attendant shopkeeper.
We made apparently endless purchases,
which we could hardly remember until
they were deposited in Amberley Villas,
where, with my newly engaged domes-
tics, awaited them with immense de-
light.
But vast as the importation appeared,
had to learn of the legion of wants un-
dreamed of By US. Scarcely day pass
ed without some new demand being
made, which apparently it was perfect
ly impossible to do without. But at last
I was thoroughly satisfied with our pos
sessions, and the servants seemed to
have come to the end of their require
ments; so the only thing that we had to
think of was the bill which had not been
sent into us. Twas frightened to think
about it; but Henry was quite prepared
for its being considerably over the two
hundred pounds, Judge of our dismay
when we did receive It to find it more
than twice that suni-four hundred and
fifty-six pounds odd! There were fright
full entries for "Time," !" which in them
selves represented q serious item, and
upon which we had never calculated;
and our small sundries, which we had
hardly taken at all into account, came
to something quite appalling.
But the first shock over, the offending
document was thurst aside-it would be
paid all in good time; and for the pre-
sent we both resolved to dismiss it from
our minds. Friends were rapidly gath
ering around US we must receive and
pay visits SO it was not very difficult to
Danish disagreeables, and to enter with
the greatest enjoyment into the new life
which lay before us. had fancied our
house was very complete and perfect
until l saw some of the elegant drawing
rooms belonging to my new acquain-
tances; after that, many deficiencies
were plainly visible; and in order to
supply them we went to different shops,
making various purchases, which, as
usual, were put down to our account
Then came our first entertainment with
Its attendant expenses, which it was alb
solutely impossible to avoid for in Hen
ry's position it was, as we thought, most
necessary for US to maintain good ap-
pearance; and, as his wife, it was in
eumbent upon me to dress as well and
fashionably as could.
So things went on and before we had
been married two years I need hardly
say we were hcpelessly and horribly in
debt. To retrench seemed utterly i'm
possible. / hardly knew where the ex-
travagance lay but the fact remained,
we were living far beyond our income !;
our bills were never ending and every
day we were sinking deeper and deeper
into the mire. To add to our difficult
ties nursery had been established, and,
though one might imagine SO small an
addition was not serious one, it cost us
no trifiing sum. could not have en-
dured to see my baby badly dressed
How could have seen 1t go out except
in thesweetest and freshest of garments :?
So it was duly adorned in the whitest
and prettiest things, which insured a
most satisfactory amount of patronage
for our laundress and most appalling
bills for me. However, we managed to
keep afoat in some wonderful manner; !;
but Henry was beginning to have a
strangely careworn look, to which I
could not blind myself. He was worried
and harassed. His business was all
right; but there were bills to be met,
difficulties to be disposed of which he
could not quite see the end of.
To outward appearance, however, we
seemed very prosperous pair. Our
house was now as elegant as our neigh
bors'. I had thousand costly little
trifles lying about in the drawing-room
got from time to time, and, as usual, not
paid for, some of which the storekeepers
themselves had pressed me into purchas-
ing. Sometimes a sharp pang shot
through me when thought over oul
position, and wished when we first set
up that had had sufficient sense to per-
Fsuade Henry to do SO more in accordance
with our income than we had done; but
1t was too late now. We must trust to
some good fortune turning up. Henry
had hopes that his partners meant to
promote him, and.if they were realized
we should be much better off, This idea
was buoying us both up, and we were
feeling particularly sanguine when Mr..
Trevor, the senior partner, peculiar
man, who seldom left his own house in
Bedford Square exceDt for the office