"YOUR MISSUS 'AS CALLED FOR YOU."

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14984, 4 May 1912, Page 4 (Supplement)

"YOUR MISSUS 'AS CALLED FOR YOU."

iV. ~•f ... . , x • Y: ( . . * .., ;Ladt" Dorothy Nbvujl's volume of : reminiscences., "Under Five Reigns," which • Messrs. Methuen have issued at a popular. price, tells of a county landowner, ' who married •. the"daughter of a peer. ' The author, says:—"There . are many, queer , characters who lived in the country in thosedays, and some of the individuals who bad, owing to * their worldly means,' 'contrived to push through the barriers with which at that time the aristocracy still, fenced themselves in were absurdly, pompous.

•, "•Such an one was ; a, certain;-landowner who, himself of plebian descent, had married. the daughter of a peer— was .so proud of this that he had made it an invariable rule to speak of his wife as Lady ——. If a neighbour asked him, 'How's your wife?' it was well known that the reply would, be, ' Lady ——, : I thank you, is in perfect health,' or 'Lady —-vl thank you, is slightly indisposed,' as the case might , be; but one thing was certain,* he would i never speak of her as ' she' or ' my, wife,' for her title was sacrosanct of this gentleman, who was a good deal of a dandy, always wearing lavender kid gloves, and rather affected to despise country ways and habits, for which reason the countryside was vastly amused at a - great rebuff .'which he , received. '•" " Having business to transact in the local town, this gentleman deigned to take lunch at the local hostelry, an, old. inn presided over by a landlord of considerable character, who was by no means , prepared to re■•gard this visit as" the great condescension which his fine visitor considered it to be. "Drawing off his lavender gloves, ho somewhat disparagingly surveyed the room, j and after a few inquiries for dishes which could not be provided, ordered a pint of wine' and a chop. When, however, this arrived he found it anything but to his taste, and, sending for the landlord, told him' it was execrable. The latter, who was in no. way impressed by his guest, declared tjiat all the local squires had lunched at his inn, and were satisfied with what was served to them. , 'As, however,' he added,' ' you don't appear to like our cooking, and kick up such a fuss about this chop, I charge,you anything— I make you a pjesent of it.' . " Completely horrified at the man's assurance, the visitor was about to make a dignified reply, when, to his horror, a bumptious; old waiter entered and - said, 'Your missus 'as called for you,' an announcement which filled the poor dandy's cup of sorrow to. the brim."