Hannah, the faithful housekeeper, was presented, and had a
shake of the hand. The Colonel knew all about Hannah: ere he had been in
England a week, a basket containing pots of jam of her confection, and a
tongue of Hannah's curing, had arrived for the Colonel. That very night
when his servant had lodged Colonel Newcome's effects at the neighbouring
hotel, Hannah was in possession of one of the Colonel's shirts, she and
her mistress having previously conspired to make a dozen of those
garments for the family benefactor.
All the presents which Newcome had ever transmitted to his sister-in-law
from India had been taken out of the cotton and lavender in which the
faithful creature kept them. It was a fine hot day in June, but I promise
you Miss Honeyman wore her blazing scarlet Cashmere shawl; her great
brooch, representing the Taj of Agra, was in her collar; and her
bracelets (she used to say, I am given to understand they are called
bangles, my dear, by the natives) decorated the sleeves round her lean
old hands, which trembled with pleasure as they received the kind grasp
of the Colonel of colonels.
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