ply the want of food. Now, we will appeal to the married ladies
whether we are not right in asserting that, although the collation
spread for them and their friends on the day of the marriage is looked
upon with almost loathing, they do not find their appetites return with
interest soon afterwards. This was precisely the case with Cecilia, or
rather, Cecilia Templemore, for she had changed her name the day before.
It was also the case with her husband, who always had a good appetite,
even during his days of courtship; and the consequence was, that the
messman's account, for they lived in barracks, was, in a few weeks,
rather alarming. Cecilia applied to her family, who very kindly sent
her word that she might starve; but, the advice neither suiting her nor
her husband, she then wrote to her cousin Antony, who sent her word that
he would be most happy to receive them at his table, and that they
should take up their abode in Finsbury Square. This was exactly what
they wished; but still there was a certain difficulty; Lieutenant
Templemore's regiment was quartered in a town in Yorkshire, which was
some trifling distance from Finsbury Square; and to be at Mr
Witherington's dinner-table at six p.m., with the necessity of appearing
at parade every morning at nine a.m., was a dilemma not to be got out
of. Several letters were interchanged upon this knotty subject: and at
last it was agreed that Mr Templemore should sell out, and come up to
Mr Witherington with his pretty wife: he did so, and found that it was
much more comfortable to turn out at nine o'clock in the morning to a
good breakfast than to a martial parade. But Mr Templemore had an
honest pride and independence of character which would not permit him to
eat the bread of idleness, and after a sojourn of two months in most
comfortable quarters, without a messman's bill, he frankly stated his
feelings to Mr Witherington, and requested his assistance to procure
for himself an honourable livelihood. Mr Witherington, who had become
attached to them both, would have remonstrated, observing that Cecilia
was his own cousin, and that he was a confirmed bachelor; but, in this
instance, Mr Templemore was firm, and Mr Witherington very unwillingly
consented. A mercantile house of the highest respectability required a
partner who could superintend their consignments to America. Mr
Witherington advanced the sum required; and, in a few weeks, Mr and
Mrs Templemore sailed for