Minor matters were forgotten in the details of his tidings, as he
stood before the fire, shining in his silver lace, and relating the
tragedy and the comedy of the scene.
It was curious, as the evening passed on, to see how Ellen and Lady
Peacock regarded each other, now that the tension of suspense was
over. To Ellen, the guest was primarily a distressed and widowed
dame, delivered by Griff, to whom she, as his lady love, was bound
to be gracious and kind; nor had they seen much of one another, the
elder ladies sitting in the drawing-room, and we in our own regions;
but we were all together at dinner and afterwards, and Lady Peacock,
who had been in a very limp, nervous, and terrified state all day,
began to be the Selina Clarkson we remembered, and 'more too.' She
was still in mourning, but she came down to dinner in gray satin
sheen, and with her hair in a most astonishing erection of bows and
bands, on the very crown of her head, raising her height at least
four inches. Emily assures me that it was the mode in use, and that
she and Ellen wore their hair in the same style, appealing to
portraits to prove it. I can only say that they never astonished my
weak mind in the like manner; and that their heads, however dressed,
only appeared to me a portion of the general woman, and part of the
universal fitness of things. Ellen was likewise amazed, most likely
not at the hair, but at the transformation of the disconsolate,
frightened widow, into the handsome, fashionable, stylish lady,
talking over London acquaintance and London news with my father and
Griff whenever they left the endless subject of the Bristol
adventures.
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