Further, there was no going, except
on alternate Sundays, when there was service in the tumble-down Church
at the park gate. It was in far worse condition than the Church at
home, and was served by a poor forlorn-looking curate, who lived at
Brentford, and divided his services between four parishes, each of
which was content to put up with a fortnightly alternate morning and
evening service. The Belamour seat was a square one, without the
comfortable appliances of the Delavie closet, and thus permitting
a much fuller view, but there was nothing to be seen except a row
of extremely gaudy Belamour hatchments, displaying to the full, the
saltir-wise sheafs of arrows on the shields or lozenges, supported
by grinning skulls. The men's shields preserved their eagle crest,
the women had only lozenges, and the family motto, _Amo et Amabo_,
was exchanged for the more pious "_Resurgam_."
Aurelia found that the family seat, whither she was marshalled by Mrs.
Aylward, was already occupied by two ladies, who rose up, and made her
stately curtsies with a decidedly disgusted air, although there was
ample space for her and Fidelia, the only one of her charges whom
she had ventured to take with her. They wore the black hoods, laced
boddices, long rolls of towering curl and open upper skirts, of Queen
Anne's day, and in the eyes of thirty years' later, looked so
ridiculous that Fay could not but stare at them the whole time, and
whenever Aurelia turned her glances from her book to see whether her
little companion was behaving herself, the big blue considering eyes
were always levelled full upon the two forms before her.
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