Her second son had
been born only a few days after her expedition to the Hotel de Ville,
and she asked the City of Paris to stand godmother to him in the
person of the provosts and echevins. Afterwards she had a great
reception, which Clement Darpent attended, and he told us the next
morning that it had been the most wonderful mixture of black gowns
and cassocks, with blue scarfs and sword-knots, lawyers, ladies,
warriors, and priests.
He continued to bring us tidings every day, and Sir Francis and Lady
Ommaney really liked him, and said he was worthy to be an Englishman.
His father remained very ill, and day by day he told of the poor old
man's pain and shortness of breath. Now Lady Ommaney had great skill
in medicine, indeed there were those who said she had done the work
of three surgeons in the war; and she had been of great service to my
dear brother, Lord Walwyn, when he first came to Paris. She thought
little or nothing of the French doctors, and waxed eloquent in
describing to Clement Darpent how she would make a poultice of bran
or of linseed. Now he had learned of my mother to read English
easily, and to converse in it on all great matters of state and
policy, but the household terms and idioms were still far beyond him,
and dear good Lady Ommaney had never learned more French than enabled
her to say 'Combien' when she made a purchase. Or if they had
understood one another's tongue, I doubt me if any one could have
learned the compounding of a poultice through a third person, and
that a man!
So, while I was labouring to interpret, Lady Ommaney exclaimed, 'But
why should I not come and show your mother?'
'Ah! if you would, Madame, that would verily be goodness,' returned
Clement in his best English.
Pages:
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254