Swiftly he passed into his bedroom next door, and arrayed himself in
his summer Hightums; a fresh (almost pearly) suit of white duck, a
mauve tie with an amethyst pin in it, socks, tightly braced up, of
precisely the same colour as the tie, so that an imaginative beholder
might have conjectured that on this warm day the end of his tie had
melted and run down his legs; buckskin shoes with tall slim heels and a
straw hat completed this pretty Hightum. He had meant to wear it for
the first time at Lucia's party tomorrow, but now, after her meanness,
she deserved to be punished. All Riseholme should see it before she
did.
The group round Mrs Weston's chair was still engaged in conversation
when Georgie came up, and he casually let slip what a bore it was to
pay calls on such a lovely day, but he had promised to visit Miss Olga
Bracely, who had just arrived. So there was another nasty one for
Lucia, since now all Riseholme would know of her actual arrival before
Lucia did.
"And who, Mr Georgie," asked Mrs Antrobus presenting her trumpet to him
in the manner in which an elephant presents its trunk to receive a
bun, "who was that with her?"
"Oh, her husband, Mr Shuttleworth," said Georgie. "They have just been
married, and are on their honeymoon." And if that was not another
staggerer for Lucia, it is diffy, as Georgie would say, to know what a
staggerer is.
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