• The Discomfiture of Mrs. 



neeessaiy '? She's such a dreadfuUy vulgar woman, it 

 makes one ill to think of having her for a whole evening ! ' 

 Lady Hilda — the elder of the girls — said, making a last 

 despairing appeal. 



' My dear, we must. It's a nuisance, of course ; but 

 we've asked everyone else who is helping, and we can't 

 leave her out. I don't like the prospect any more than 

 you do,' said Mrs. Trimmings's * dear Lady Covertside ' ; 

 ' but she has behaved very liberally about the orphanage 

 — this was the charity to be benefited by the theatricals 

 — ' and — well, we must ! ' 



'I don't believe it's liberality, mamma,' Ethel said, 

 with a toss of the head ; 'it's her speculation. She 

 spends money to force her way where she isn't wanted ! 

 You promise you won't ever think of having her in 

 London, don't you, dear ? ' 



'Of course not; but here it's different, and we must 

 make the best of it.' 



The effusion with which the ladies were greeted need 

 not be described, nor the rapture which thrilled Mrs. 

 Trimmings's bosom when the thrice blessed invitation 

 was given to dine and hold a sort of committee to 

 arrange the theatricals. They were going to play a 

 comedy by Mr. Lyghte, the popular dramatist of the day, 

 and Mrs. Trimmings was enchanted. She knew him 

 well, she declared, and his ^wcct wife. They were quite 

 in society, she informed her visitors, lest Lady Covertside 

 should suppose her guilty of an acquaintance with anyone 

 who was not. You saw them everywhere. Mrs. Lyghte 

 was quite charming ; she had often met them in London 

 at dear Lady Lobbington's — for dear Lady Lol)bington, 

 it should be explained, was a great authority with Mrs. 

 Trimmings, whose sister, people did say, had served her 



