Cornwall (England : County) -- Fiction; Short stories, English
He talked a brave bit about subjection, and how a woman ought to
submit herself to her husband, and keep her head covered in places of
public worship. And from that he passed on to say that 'twas to this
beautiful submissiveness women owed their amazing power for good, and
he, for his part, was going through Cornwall to tackle the womenfolk
and teach 'em this beautiful lesson, and he'd warrant he'd leave the
whole county a sight nearer righteousness than he found it. With
that he broke out into extempory prayer for our dear sisters, as he
called them, dusted his knees, and gave out the hymn, all as pleased
as Punch.
Sal walked home from service alongside of her husband, very
thoughtful. Deep down in the bottom of his heart he was afraid of
her, and she knew it, though she made it a rule to treat him kindly.
But knowing him for a monkey-spirited little man, and spiteful as
well as funny, you could never be sure when he wouldn't break out.
To-night he no sooner gets inside his own door than says he with a
dry sort of a chuckle:
"Powerful fine sermon, this evenin'. A man like that makes you
_think_."
"Ch't!" says Sally, tossing her bonnet on to the easy chair and
groping about for the tinder-box.
"Sort of doctrine that's badly needed in Saltash," says he. "But I'd
ha' bet 'twould be wasted on you. Well, well, if you can't
understand logic, fit and fetch supper, that's a good soul!"
"Ch't!" said Sally again, paying no particular attention, but
wondering what the dickens had become of the tinder-box.
She couldn't find it on the chimney-piece, so went off to fetch the
kitchen one.
When she came back, there was my lord seated in the easy chair--that
was hers by custom--and puffing away at his pipe--a thing not allowed
until after supper. You see, he had collared the tinder-box when he
first came in, and had hidden it from her.
Sal lit the lamp, quiet-like. "I s'pose you know you're sittin' 'pon
my best bonnet?" said she.
This took him aback. He jumped up, found the bonnet underneath
him sure enough, and tossed it on to the table. "Gew-gaws!" said he,
settling himself again and puffing. "Gew-gaws and frippery!
That man'll do good in this country; he's badly wanted."
Sal patted the straw of her bonnet into something like shape and
smoothed out the ribbons. "If it'll make you feel like a
breadwinner," said she, "there's a loaf in the bread-pan. The cold
meat and pickles are under lock and key, and we'll talk o' them
later." She fitted the bonnet on and began to tie the strings.
"You don't tell me, Sarah, that you mean to go gadding out at this
time of the evening?" cries he, a bit chapfallen, for he knew she
carried the keys in an under-pocket beneath her skirt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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