To dress was a far more difficult, though not
more important, affair with Sepia than with Hesper, for she had
nothing of her own, and from, her cousin no fixed allowance. Any
arrangement of the kind had been impossible at Durnmelling, where
there was no money; and here, where it would have been easy
enough, she judged it better to give no hint in its direction,
although plainly it had never suggested itself to Hesper. There
was nothing of the money-mean in her, any more than in her
husband. They were of course, as became people of fashion,
regular and unwearied attendants of the church of Mammon,
ordering all their judgments and ways in accordance with the
precepts there delivered; but they were none of Mammon's priests
or pew-openers, money-grubs, or accumulators. They gave liberally
where they gave, and scraped no inferior to spend either on
themselves or their charities. They had plenty, it is true; but
so have many who withhold more than is meet, and take the ewe-
lamb to add to their flock. For one thing, they had no time for
that sort of wickedness, and took no interest in it. So Hesper,
although it had not come into her mind to give her the ease of a
stated allowance, behaved generously to Sepia--when she thought
of it; but she did not love her enough to be love-watchful, and
seldom thought how her money must be going, or questioned whether
she might not at the moment be in want of more.
Pages:
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369