Fathers and daughters -- Fiction; Social classes -- England -- Fiction
But it certainly had acquired its full force from an expression made
use of by her Aunt Stingy, who had spoken of a young person as having
"lost her good name." What the young person was called by her friends,
afterwards, was a problem Lizarann had given a good deal of thought
to. And she was now unable to dissociate the young person's position
altogether from her own. If her name had not been lost as a necessary
implement of social intercourse with the world at large, it at least
had been surrendered with no _per contra_, in the case of an immoral
and worthless member of it. But she felt that, could she become
possessed of _his_ name, as a set-off, the balance of righteousness
would be adjusted. And she was much more anxious about this than about
the chestnuts.
"What's your nime?" said she, after self-commune which suggested no
less trenchant way of approaching the subject.
The boy paused in the clog-dance. "Moses," said he. And then went on as
before.
"Nuffint elst no more than Moses?"
"That's tellin's." The boy said this absently, and did some more steps.
Then he simulated a graceful subsidence of the dance, ending in an
attitude that seemed to acknowledge the applause of a delighted throng.
But a commercial possibility had presented itself. "What'll you stand,"
said he, "for to be told my name, and no lies?" This seemed mercenary;
but then, had not Lizarann herself surrendered hers for a deal? Why
condemn him?
No!--Lizarann lived in a glass house, and wouldn't throw stones. But
she would make conditions. "Real nime all froo," she said. "Moses is
lyin' stories!" For, you see, this was a crafty boy, and might consider
the concession of a true surname alone would discharge his obligations
under the contract.
"Then on'y Moses," said he; and began an encore--presumably, as it was
the same dance. But he was not too preoccupied by it to take off the
shell of his fourth chestnut, and when he had done so he smelt it, with
disappointment. For it was mouldy. An idea struck him, and he acted on
it.
"Marcy me, no!" said Mother Groves of the chestnuts when requested by
him to 'and over a good un, fair and no cheating. "The riskis lies with
the buyers. Where 'ud I be, in half the time, at that rate?"
"Then I'll 'ave the law of yer. Just see if I don't." He danced again,
and this time his dance seemed to express confidence in his solicitor.
But presently he stopped, and offered a composition: "You lookee here,
Missis Groves," he said. "I'll 'and you back the mouldy one, onbit-into
and closin' over the busted shell, acrost a clean new un, and I'll take
another highp'orth off you, and pay square. If that ain't fair, nothin'
ain't! But you got to look sharp, or the chance'll be gone."
Mother Groves rejected the chance. "It ain't consideration enough to go
again' the rules on, and me to take my 'ands out in the perishing cold.
Make it a penn'orth and pick yourself, all exceptin' the three top."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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