England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Short stories, English
Does any one remember her? I told something about her and her people
early in this volume. When Thomas Rymer died, partly of a broken heart,
Benjamin had again gone off, and Margaret continued to keep the business
going. She understood the drugs thoroughly. During all the months that
had elapsed since, the son had not made his appearance at home.
Timberdale would say, "Why does not Benjamin come back to carry on
affairs in his father's place?" but it had no satisfactory answer.
Latterly, Timberdale had let Benjamin alone, and busied itself with
Margaret.
Six months ago, the Reverend Isaac Sale had come to Timberdale as
curate. He was a plain, dark little man of sterling worth, and some
thirty years of age--older than the Rector. Margaret Rymer met him at
the Sunday School, where she taught regularly, and he fell desperately
in love with her--if it's not wrong to say that of a parson. As a rule,
men and women like contrasts; and perhaps the somewhat abrupt-mannered
man with the plain and rugged features had been irresistibly attracted
by the delicate face of Margaret, and by her singularly gentle ways.
In position she was not his equal; but Mr. Sale made no secret of his
attachment, or that he wanted Margaret to be his wife. Mrs. Rymer
entirely opposed it: how was the business to be kept going without
Margaret, she demanded; or herself, either?
Mr. Sale had taken the curacy as a temporary thing. He was waiting for
some expected appointment abroad. When it fell to him, Margaret Rymer
would have to choose between sailing with him as his wife, or staying at
home and giving him up for good. So said Timberdale.
After standing to talk a bit with Margaret, who had come out on an
errand for her mother, I ran on to the Rectory. Mr. Tanerton and his
wife were in the snug little bow-windowed front-room. He, spare and
colourless, young yet, with cold grey eyes and thin light whiskers, sat
by the blazing fire of wood and coal, that went roaring and sparkling up
the chimney. Somehow Herbert Tanerton gave you the idea of being always
in a chill. Well meaning, and kind in the main, he was yet severe,
taking too much note of offences, and expecting all the world, and
especially his own flock, to be better than gold.
His wife, kind, genial, and open-hearted, sat at the window, stitching a
wristband for one of her husband's new shirts--he was as particular over
_them_ as he was over the parish sins--and glancing cheerfully out
between whiles at the snowy landscape. When she was Grace Coney, and
niece at the farm, we were very intimate; a nice, merry-hearted, capable
girl, rather tall and slender, with bright dark hazel eyes, and a wide
mouth that seemed always to be smiling to show its pretty white teeth.
Seeing me coming, she ran to open the porch-door. As yet, she and
Herbert had no children.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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