‘Proud to catch cold at a Venetian door.
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‘Dear Mr. Rogers,—Tell me, for I am sure you can, what kind of door a Venetian door is—or what did Pope mean by a Venetian door. The ignorant people here declare they never heard of such a thing. Now I declare that in my youth, in my childhood, I often heard my father talk of Venetian doors, and I thought I understood that what was meant was a concealed door, intended to be invisible or unnoticed, same colour as the hangings, paper, or wainscoting of a room.
‘But I am told that the door I endeavour to describe should be called a jib door. Now jib I cannot find in Johnson’s Dictionary; perchance it may be in the Slang Dictionary, with which I am not acquainted, nor perhaps are you.
‘Pray delay not, my dear Sir, to settle this important question by your decisive authority. I have profited by that authority before.
MISS EDGEWORTH | 235 |
‘If I live, and am well as I am now, I hope I shall have the pleasure and honour of seeing you once more this winter or spring in town. I shall be with my sister at No. 1, North Audley Street, and trust I shall be better able to enjoy my friends’ society than I was last time I was with her. She has now quite recovered her health. I gratefully remember your kindness to us both.’