Sunday at church

Alice finds herself at church on Sunday, with fellow attendees taking the sermons rather seriously

YPe5cSkcMGxKtJAMqxe5So.jpg
debutants diary.jpg

Sunday September 6th, 1868

No going to morning church here, as most of us don't summon resolution enough to get up much before ten-thirty, which is rather against attending ten o'clock service. Went however in the afternoon, in the most orthodox manner, and what's more took Mr Creyke with me. Of course he was most assiduous in his attentions during our mile walk, but somehow, not withstanding his indisputable good looks, I don't feel myself capable of getting up the even smallest interest for him; which is unpleasant in the extreme, seeing as there is no one else.

** Subscribe to Country Life; Get Country Life on IPad

After church May went (doubtless to discuss the sermon) amongst the rector's rose bushes, with J. Ogle. Edith Wood and I following heedlessly to ask what was to be done about the carriage found them in a very affectionate attitude indeed: there is nothing like carrying out the very letter of the law, and the excellent discourse that we had been listening to was based on St John's command ‘Little children love one another'.

Of course we got rather a sharp dismissal, with a reiteration of the order that we were to take the carriage ourselves and go home.

* Follow Country Life magazine on Twitter

* Read more of A Debutante's Diary

Country Life

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.