It gave her a positive physical satisfaction; her
beauty, which had begun to fade, came back to her; she looked five years
younger. And all the while Geoffrey watched her with an ever-growing
scorn.
Once it broke out. The Bolton Street house had been furnished; he gave
her fifteen hundred pounds to do it, and with what things they owned
she managed very well on that. They moved into it, and Honoria had set
herself up with a sufficient supply of grand dresses and jewellery,
suitable to her recovered position. One day however, it occurred to her
that Effie was a child of remarkable beauty, who, if properly dressed,
would look very nice in the drawing-room at tea-time. So she ordered a
lovely costume for her--this deponent is not able to describe it, but
it consisted largely of velvet and lace. Geoffrey heard nothing of this
dress, but coming home rather early one afternoon--it was on a Saturday,
he found the child being shown off to a room full of visitors, and
dressed in a strange and wonderful attire with which, not unnaturally,
she was vastly pleased. He said nothing at the time, but when at length
the dropping fire of callers had ceased, he asked who put Effie into
that dress.
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