Carruthers told us to try always to walk in.
Lady Catherine talked a great deal at dinner about politics and her
different charities, and the four girls were so respectful and interested,
but Mr. Montgomerie contradicted her whenever he could. I was glad when we
went into the drawing-room.
That first evening was the worst of all, because we were all so strange;
one seems to get acclimatized to whatever it is after a while.
Lady Katherine asked me if I had not some fancy-work to do. Kirstie had
begun her ties, and Jean the altar-cloth, again.
"Do let Maggie run to your room and fetch it for you," she said.
I was obliged to tell her I never did any. "But I--I can trim hats," I
said; it really seemed awful not to be able to do anything like them, I
felt I must say this as a kind of defence for myself.
However, she seemed to think that hardly a lady's employment.
"How clever of you!" Kirstie exclaimed. "I wish I could, but don't you
find that intermittent? You can't trim them all the time. Don't you feel
the want of a constant employment?"
I was obliged to say I had not felt like that yet, but I could not tell
them I particularly loved sitting perfectly still, doing nothing.
Jessie and Maggie played Patience at two tables which folded up, and which
they brought out and sat down to with a deliberate accustomed look which
made me know at once they did this every night, and that I should see
those tables planted exactly on those two spots of carpet every evening
during my whole stay.
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