te in life in a violent and fatal form.
She had not therefore made herself unhappy about her son for a few
years after his first entrance on a life in London, but latterly she
had begun to be a little uneasy. Tidings of the great amount of his
debts reached even her ears; and, moreover, it was nearly time that he
should reform and settle down. During the last twelve months she had
remarked fully twelve times, to Griffiths, that she wondered when
Kilcullen would marry?--and she had even twice asked her husband,
whether he didn't think that such a circumstance would be advantageous.
She was therefore much rejoiced to hear that her son was coming to live
at home. But then, why was it so sudden? It was quite proper that the
house should be made a little gay for his reception; that he shouldn't
be expected to spend his evenings with no other society than that of
his father and mother, his sister and his cousin; but how was she
to get the house ready for the people, and the people ready for the
house, at so very short a notice?--What trouble, also, it would be
to her!--Neither she nor Griffiths would know another moment's rest;
besides--and the thought nearly drove her into hysterics,--where was
she to get a new cook?

However, she promised her husband to do her best. She received from
him a list of people to be invited, and, merely stipulating that she
shouldn't be required to ask any one except the parson of the parish
under a week, undertook to make the place as bearable as possible to
so fastidious and distinguished a person as her own son.

Her first confidante was, of course, Griffiths; and, with her
assistance, the wool and the worsted, and the knitting-needles, the
unfinished vallances and interminable yards of fringe, were put up and
rolled out of the way; and it was then agreed that a council should be
held, to which her ladyship proposed to invite Lady Selina and Fanny.
Griffiths, however, advanced an opinion that the latter was at present
too lack-a-daisical to be of any use in such a matter, and strengthened
her argument by asserting that Miss Wyndham had of late been quite
mumchance [44]. Lady Cashel was at first rather inclined to insist
on her niece being called to the council, but Griffiths's eloquence
was too strong, and her judgment too undoubted; so Fanny was left
undisturbed, and Lady Selina alone summoned to join the aged female
senators of Grey Abbey.

[FOOTNOTE 44: mumchance--silent and idle]