, and as a man of fashion,
he had never owed any one anything. He was now to begin that career
of owing. But when a clerk in a public office marries an earl's
daughter, he cannot expect to have everything his own way.

Lady Amelia had bought the ordinary furniture,--the beds, the
stair-carpets, the washing-stands, and the kitchen things.
Gazebee had got a bargain of the dinner-table and sideboard.
But Lady Alexandrina herself was to come up with reference to
the appurtenances of the drawing-room. It was with reference
to matters of costume that the countess intended to lend her
assistance,--matters of costume as to which the bill could not be
sent in to Gazebee, and be paid for by him with five per cent. duly
charged against the bridegroom. The bridal trousseau must be produced
by de Courcy's means, and, therefore, it was necessary that the
countess herself should come upon the scene. "I will have no bills,
d'ye hear?" snarled the earl, gnashing and snapping upon his words
with one specially ugly black tooth. "I won't have any bills about
this affair." And yet he made no offer of ready money. It was very
necessary under such circumstances that the countess herself should
come upon the scene. An ambiguous hint had been conveyed to Mr
Gazebee, during a visit of business which he had lately made to
Courcy Castle, that the milliner's bills might as well be pinned
on to those of the furniture-makers, the crockery-mongers, and the
like. The countess, putting it in her own way, had gently suggested
that the fashion of the thing had changed lately, and that such an
arrangement was considered to be the proper thing among people who
lived really in the world. But Gazebee was a clear-headed, honest
man; and he knew the countess. He did not think that such an
arrangement could be made on the present occasion. Whereupon the
countess pushed her suggestion no further, but made up her mind that
she must come up to London herself.

It was pleasant to see the Ladies Amelia and Alexandrina, as they sat
within a vast emporium of carpets in Bond Street, asking questions of
the four men who were waiting upon them, putting their heads together
and whispering, calculating accurately as to extra twopences a yard,
and occasioning as much trouble as it was possible for them to give.
It was pleasant because they managed their large hoops cleverly among
the huge rolls of carpets, because they were enjoying themselves
thoroughly, and taking to th