Where is the safest place to keep one’s money – a bank? a safe? No, apparently in one’s stays! (There were ladies’ undergarments.)
“A professional gentleman residing in Bath, having been suddenly called upon to administer to the effects of an elderly lady recently deceased, his wife told him that she had some indistinct recollection of a communication once made to her by the now deceased lady respecting some money which she kept secreted about her person. The conversation was represented to have taken place in that potion of the Assembly-rooms where, on Wednesday evenings, married and elderly ladies much do congregate to study the point in short whist; but the husband treated it as idle gossip, and took no further notice. In ‘the dead waste and middle of the night, ‘ however, he was suddenly awakened by the lady – his wife, not the departed – who told him she could not sleep for dreaming of their departed friend, who had told her that she constantly kept a large sum of money sewn up in her stays. The husband ‘pished’ and ‘poohed’ about the dreams and the stays and the money, but all to no purpose; no more tranquil sleep could the lady get, and consequently small was the portion enjoyed by her unhappy spouse. To pacify her, he at length promised to ‘see about it’ in the morning, and in fulfilment of his promise went early to the house of the deceased, and, with a blush and a stammer, requested the femme-de-chambre to bring him her late mistress’ stays. The wondering Abigail complied – they were not new ones – our professional daintily and awkwardly handled the mysterious piece of machinery, held it up to the light, fancied her saw a little extra wadding in some particular corner, gently dislodged the lurking contents, and found in his had, in good bank-notes and true, the sum of 160l.*”
*£160 would be worth £24,670 today!
Bath Her(ald).
The Stamford Mercury, 24th January, 1848.