Page:Lady Anne Granard 2.pdf/183

Rh here before it is seen elsewhere. Your finely-formed hand and beautiful fingers make you fancy the cuffs pretty; but I will say this, they are singularly becoming, and I do hope her grace will take the other pair." As the dress must be to a certain point en deshabille adopted on this occasion, and the hand and arm which Phidias might have copied must be covered, her grace did accept the cuffs, and very carefully proceeded with the unpacking, in the course of which a note directed to Lady Anne was found, and immediately handed to her, with a request that she would read it that moment; it was from Mrs. Penrhyn, and ran thus:— "My dear Mother, "Both Helen and myself have done our best to fulfil your wishes, though my part of it has been necessarily little, in comparison with hers, for she has fulfilled your commands literally, and, by working day and night, is become so poorly, it is impossible for her to travel at present, yet I did my best to save her from suffering, by engaging the services of several young friends, as you will perceive from the quantity of articles sent. A parcel addressed to me." "How extremely ridiculous!" exclaimed Lady Anne, who had hitherto been reading aloud, "to be ill, and not able to come, to put me to all this frightful expense, and then take no advantage from it; really, my daughters are the plagues of my life, and."