Here the image of Glenmurray and that of _home_, the home which she once
knew, the home of her childhood, and of her _earliest_ youth, pressed
on her recollection. She thought of her mother, of the indulgencies
which she had once known, of the advantages, of opulence, the value of
which she had never felt till deprived of them; and, struck with the
comparative forlornness of her situation--united for life to a being
whose sluggish sensibilities could not understand, and consequently not
soothe, the quick feelings and jealous susceptibility of her nature--she
could hardly forbear falling at the feet of her husband, and conjuring
him to behave, at least, with forbearance to her, and to speak and look
at her with kindness.
She did stretch out her hand to him with a look of mournful entreaty,
which, though not understood by Berrendale, was not lost upon him
entirely. He thought it was a confession of her weakness and his
superiority; and, flattered by the thought into unusual softness, he
caught her fondly to his bosom, and gave up an engagement to sup at an
oyster club, in order to spend the evening tête-à-tête with his wife.
Nay, he allowed the little Editha to remain in the room for a whole
hour, though she cried when he attempted to take her in his arms, and,
observing that it was a cold evening, allowed Adeline her due share of
the fire-side.
These circumstances, trivial as they were, had more than their due
effect on Adeline, whose heart was more alive to kindness than
unkindness; and those paltry attentions of which happy wives would not
have been conscious, were to her a source of unfeigned pleasure.--As
sailors are grateful, after a voyage unexpectedly long, for the muddy
water which at their first embarking they would have turned from with
disgust.
That very night Adeline remonstrated with the mulatto on the impropriety
of her conduct; and, having convinced her that in insulting her husband
she failed in respect to her, Savanna was prevailed upon the next
morning to ask pardon of Berrendale; and, out of love for her mistress,
she took care in future to do nothing that required forgiveness.
As Adeline's way of life admitted of but little variety, Berrendale
having persisted in not introducing her to his friends, on the plea of
not being rich enough to receive company in return, I shall pass over in
silence what occurred to her till Editha was two years old; premising
that a series of little injuries on the part of Berrendale, and a quick
resentment of them on the part of Adeline, which not even her habitual
good humour could prevent, had, during that time, nearly eradicated
every trace of love for each other from their hearts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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