The Baddington Peerage, Who Won, and Who Wore It Volume 2; A Story of the Best and the Worst Society (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1861 Excerpt: ...Times"' (just then in vogue) every Sunday to a congregation composed of Lady Mumruffin's charity boys, the clerk, the sexton, the sexton's wife, Mr. Deputy Podge's maiden sister, who was supposed not to be quite right in her head, and the carved and gilt lion and unicorn that kept guard at either angle of the churchwardens' pew. Lord Baddington had not been to his grand-aunt's house for at least two months. His Lordship had sent in his "papers" to the Horse Guards, and was negotiating the sale of his commission, his extensive estates in Ireland demanding (in the interest of his tenantry, doubtless) all his time and attention. With this view he had crossed St. George's Channel, and was taking care of his estates at Morrison's Hotel, Dublin, where he found the Sneyd's claret not at all unpalatable, and whence he sent frequent and anxiously kind inquiries after Lady Baddington's health. ' The marriage-morning came: as the morning, however long deferred, must come; the morning for joy, and the morning for sorrow; the morning for you, your Majesty, to be crowned--for you, Jack Suspercoll, to be hanged; the morning for every one of us to lay by crinoline and all-round collars, when the gay pictures shall be turned with their faces to the wall, and those about us open the windows, that our souls may have elbowroom to flee away from the clay. ' The bridegroom was dressed, and, pale and palpitating, was waiting in the musty old vestry-room of Saint Duffabox-under-Crump, Crump Lane, City, for the arrival of his bride, who was to be driven there in Lady Baddington's own carriage. Her considerate Ladyship, Philip being quite a stranger in London, had provided him, even, with a groomsman, in t...