married
" the dearest girl; " a curate's daughter ; one of ten ; down in
Devonshire ; " and had started for such small fry of legal practice as
he could pick up, to start with; " (afterwards he rose to be a
judge!)—"bless his soul! they were two of the happiest people! —"Then
our pleasures! Dear me! they are inexpensive ; but quite delightful! "
" The streets of an evening abound in enjoyment for us. We look into
the glittering windows of the jewellers' shops ; and I show Sophy which
of the diamond-eyed serpents, coiled up on white-satin rising grounds,
I would give her, if I could afford it; and Sophy shows me which of the
gold watches, that are capped, and jewelled, and engine-turned, and
possessed of the horizontal lever escape-movement, and all sorts of
things, she would buy for me if she could afford it; and we
pick out the spoons and forks, fish-slices, butter-knives, and
sugar-tongs, we should both prefer if we could both afford them ; and
really we go away as if we had got them."
Meantime,
" there was a little room in the roof, a very nice room when you're up
there ; which Sophy papered herself, to surprise me ; and that's our
room at present. It's a capital little gipsy sort of place ; " "
there's quite a view from it! " " And, as to plate ; Lord bless you, we
haven't so much as a teaspoon." " Of course, we've something in the
shape of teaspoons, because we stir our tea. But they're
Britannia-metal."—(An alloy of antimony with tin.)
At
Ham House, Petersham, the historical old mansion of Lord Dysart; and at
Knole, in Kent; are Silver fire-irons, and dogs; whilst magnificently
carved, Silver-framed mirrors are amongst the many treasures which are
found at the former house. Horace Walpole
