Children's stories; Christian life -- Juvenile fiction; Christmas -- Juvenile fiction
"Bless you, miss," said she, "you might be here for months and never
set eyes on them. Mr. Winn, a broad-shouldered, handsome gentleman,
does nothing but hunt bees and butterflies and suchlike. Mr. Marsden is
mad after out-a-way plants and flowers. They don't even go a fishing,
though, there's lovely trout for the catching. I wish they would, for
fish is hard to get so far from a market."
"But off they go betimes in the morning, with flytraps and tins, which
carry lunch first and no end of green rubbish after. They come home as
the birds do—towards night, and they have dinner and supper in one.
Then they are busy arranging what I call 'regular trash,' and looking
as pleased as if a bluebottle was a diamond, or the green stuff good to
eat. They make a lot of litter, but it's clean dirt, as one may say,
and they never torment the live things, but have a way of putting a
quick end to them. I couldn't abide to have even a fly tormented here.
They are quiet, regular, and pay well for what trouble they give, so
what could I want more? They will never annoy you, Miss Anstey."
What could I say to this? I paid little; I had come in ignorance; I
had nowhere else to go! Was I to be driven away on account of these
neighbours? Not I! Mr. Winn might hunt beetles, and Mr. Marsden
gloat over his "green trash," while I would do my best to forget the
existence of the pair, and enjoy my holiday.
I did not quite succeed in keeping this resolution. I was a daughter
of Mother Eve, and, therefore, curious. My landlady was equally her
daughter, and inclined to talk; so from her I learnt that her lodgers
were both "born gentlemen," though Mr. Winn had parents living and
several sisters, whilst Mr. Marsden had only a mother, who doted on him.
"By all accounts she wants him to marry, and she doesn't. She would
like him to have wife and children; but thinks she could pick a mate
for him best, and all the while does not believe there is a lady in the
world good enough for this precious son of hers. No matter what she
might be, I suppose the old lady would be jealous of her. Eh, dear! It
isn't the best thing to be over-much thought of, is it, Miss Anstey?"
I told Mrs. Jennings I was no judge, for I had no one left to trouble
me with too much love. And then conscience reproached me as I thought
of the dear family at Hillstowe, who had given me so much cause for
thankfulness and made me one amongst them.
"I don't think Mr. Marsden lets his mother's fidgety ways trouble him,"
replied Mrs. Jennings. "When he does marry, he will choose for himself,
and the right of it, too. Meanwhile, he seems as happy as a bird, and
makes the old lady happy, too, for he is a dutiful son, if ever there
was one."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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