Arminell: A Social Romance, Vol. 1Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
General
Arminell: A Social Romance, Vol. 1
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
English fiction -- 19th century
Miss Inglett was very different in type from her step-mother; a tall,
handsome girl, with dark hair cut short, like a boy’s, and eyes of
violet blue. She had a skin of the purest olive, no rose whatever in her
cheeks, as transparent as Lady Lamerton’s, but of a warmer tone, like
the mellow of an old painting, whereas that of her step-mother had the
freshness and crudeness of a picture from the easel sent to the Royal
Academy on the first of May.
Arminell differed from Lady Lamerton in expression as completely as in
type of feature and colour. She had an unusual breadth of brow, whereas
Lady Lamerton’s forehead was narrow. Her eyes had not that patient
gentleness that filled the dark blue orbs of her ladyship, they were
quick and sparkling. Her lips, somewhat prominent, were full, warm and
contemptuous. She held her head erect, with a curl of the mouth, and a
contraction of the brows, that expressed impatience at the task on which
she was engaged.
On the left side of Miss Inglett sat Captain Tubb, engaged on the
illumination of the souls of the senior boys. Captain Tubb held no
commission in the army or navy, not even in the volunteers. He was, in
fact, only the manager of a lime-quarry in the parish, on the estate of
Lord Lamerton, but such heads over gangs of quarry and mining men bear
among the people the courtesy-title of captain.
Mr. Tubb was a short, pale man with shiny face much polished, and with
sandy moustache and beard. When he was in perplexity, he put his hand to
his mouth, and stroked his moustache, or his beard under the chin,
turned it up, and nibbled at the ends.
Some folk said that the captain taught in school so as to stand well
with her ladyship, who would speak a word for him to my lord; but the
rector thought, more charitably, he did it for his soul’s and conscience
sake. Captain Tubb was a simple man, except in his business, and in that
he was sharp enough. Perhaps he taught a class from mixed motives, and
thought it would help him on a bit in both worlds.
“Yes,” said Lady Lamerton, “yes, Fanny White, go on. As the list of the
canonical books is known to you all, I require you to learn the names of
these books which, as the sixth article says, are read for example of
life and instruction of manners; but yet are not applied to establish
any doctrine. After that we will proceed to learn by heart the names of
the Homilies, twenty-one in all, given in the thirty-fifth article,
which are the more important, because they are not even read and hardly
any one has a copy of them. Go on with the uncanonical books. Third Book
of Esdras, Fourth Book of Esdras.”
“Tobit,” whispered the timid Fanny White, and curtsied.
“Quite right, Tobit—go on. It is most important for your soul’s health
that you should know what books are not canonical, and in their
sequence. What comes after Tobit?”
“Judith,” faltered Fanny.
“Then a portion of Esther, not found in Hebrew. What next?”
“Wisdom,” shouted the next girl, Polly Woodley.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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