She also spoke of the want of ready money as a misfortune that could be remedied, by more economical personal expenditure on her own part; by which individual saving, it was possible that a reduction of fifty pounds a year might have been accomplished.

But as soon as Mr.Smithson touched on larger economies, such as either affected the welfare of others, or the honour and standing of the great House of Hanbury, she was inflexible.

Her establishment consisted of somewhere about forty servants, of whom nearly as many as twenty were unable to perform their work properly, and yet would have been hurt if they had been dismissed; so they had the credit of fulfilling duties, while my lady paid and kept their substitutes.

Mr.
Smithson made a calculation, and would have saved some hundreds a year by pensioning off these old servants.

But my lady would not hear of it.
Then, again, I know privately that he urged her to allow some of us to return to our homes.