Christian life; Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Young women -- Conduct of life -- Fiction
Left to itself, my fury, by degrees, subsided into sullen resolution.
Conceiving that I had been unjustly treated, I determined not to yield.
This humour lasted till the second day of my captivity, when I began to
entertain some thoughts of a compromise with my dignity. Yet, when the
original terms were again proposed to me without abatement, pride
forbade me to accept what I had so often refused; and I remained another
day in durance. At last, when I was heartily wearied of solitude and
inaction, I received a visit from my champion; and though I had
stubbornly withstood higher authority, I was moved by remembrance of the
favour she had shown me, to consent, that, provided Lady Maria would
humble herself before me for her impertinence, I would apologise for the
blow which I had given. It was now her Ladyship's turn to be obstinate.
She refused to comply; so after another day's confinement I was
liberated unconditionally, as having sufficiently expiated my fault.
From that time an ill-humour prevailed between Lady Maria and myself,
which was kept alive by mutual indications of insolence and ill-will. It
had too little dignity to bear the name of hatred; and might rather be
characterised as a kind of snappishness, watchful to give and to take
offence. Our companions enlisted in our quarrels. By degrees almost
every girl in the school had been drawn to engage on one side or other;
and our mutual bickerings were often carried on with as much rancour as
ever envenomed the contests of Whig and Tory.
Of all my adherents, the last to declare in my favour, the most steady
when fixed, was Miss Juliet Arnold, the daughter of an insurance-broker
lately deceased. Mr Arnold, finding it impossible to derive from himself
or his ancestors sufficient consequence to satisfy his desires, was
obliged to draw for importance upon posterity, by becoming the founder
of a family; therefore, leaving his daughter almost in a state of
dependence, he bequeathed the bulk of a considerable fortune to his son.
This young gentleman calculated that the most frugal way of providing
for his sister would be to aid her in obtaining an establishment. Miss
Juliet Arnold, therefore, was educated to be married.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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