Excerpt from A Shock to Society

Poor Decima! The stage of apology had now become acute. For Lord Llangarren, having married off his daughters, found himself still burdened with the charge of this extra young woman, whose position as his niece entailed expensive arrangements for her dignity and convenience, while her shyness made her almost useless as a companion or an entertainer. Decima would gladly have renounced the attentions of the pry ing maid, whose services she had formerly shared with her younger cousin; and of the superannuated gover ness, whom Agatha and Sybil had known how to keep in order, but who tyrannized at her pleasure over her remaining pupil. It never occurred to the girl, how ever, to make unavailing protests to this effect; and she submitted to be carried off, with the luggage and a retinue of servants, to her uncle's place in Wales, to spend the dreariest of winters, just as she would have submitted to be sent to Siberia, if that had been the earl's good pleasure.

Llangarren House was a big, pretentious building, which would have accommodated a regiment. It stood on high ground, facing what was in summer a beautiful view of woods, plains, hills, and the winding Wye: but in December the prospect was the dreariest imagin able. While his daughters remained unmarried, the earl had proved a model father, and had sacrificed in great measure his own tastes in order to satisfy the demands of the gayety-loving Agatha and Sybil, who quite declined to be buried in the wilds, as they called it. Now, however, that the task of satisfying their caprices had been transferred to their husbands, the earl was able to indulge his own tastes for a country life and agricultural pursuits.

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