Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral TalesEdgeworth, Maria
General
Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral Tales
Edgeworth, Maria
Fiction
"Oh, my Araminta! my Araminta!" exclaimed Angelina, turning up her
eyes towards heaven--"when, oh when shall I find thee? I am the most
unfortunate person upon earth."
"Had not hur petter eat a hegg, and a pit of pacon? here's one pit
left," said Betty: "hur must be hungry, for 'tis two o'clock past, and
we preakfasted at nine--hur must be hungry;" and Betty pressed her
_to try the pacon_; but Angelina put it away, or, in the proper style,
motioned the bacon from her.
"I am in no want of food," cried she, rising: "happy they who have no
conception of any but corporeal sufferings. Farewell, madam!--may the
sensibility, of which your countenance is so strongly expressive, never
be a source of misery to you!"--and with that depth of sigh which suited
the close of such a speech, Angelina withdrew.
"If I could but have felt her pulse," said Dinah Plait to herself, "I
could have prescribed something that, maybe, would have done her good,
poor distracted thing! Now it was well done of John Barker to leave this
purse for her--but how is this?--poor thing! she's not fit to be trusted
with money--here she has left her own purse full of guineas."
Dinah ran immediately to the house-door, in hopes of being able to catch
Angelina; but the coach had turned down into another street, and was out
of sight. Mrs. Plait sent for her constant counsellor, John Barker, to
deliberate on the means of returning the purse. It should be mentioned,
to the credit of Dinah's benevolence, that, at the moment when she was
interrupted by the entrance of Betty Williams and Angelina, she
was hearing the most flattering things from a person who was not
disagreeable to her: her friend, John Barker, was a rich hosier, who
had retired from business; and who, without any ostentation, had a great
deal of real feeling and generosity. But the fastidious taste of _fine_,
or sentimental readers, will probably be disgusted by our talking of
the feelings and generosity of a hosier and a cheesemonger's widow.
It belongs to a certain class of people to indulge in the luxury of
sentiment: we shall follow our heroine, therefore, who, both from
her birth and education, is properly qualified to have--"exquisite
feelings."
The next house at which Angelina stopped, to search for her amiable
Araminta, was at Mrs. Porett's academy for young ladies.
"Yes, ma'am, Miss Hodges is here--Pray walk into this room, and you
shall see the young lady immediately." Angelina burst into the room
instantly, exclaiming--
"Oh, my Araminta! have I found you at last?"
She stopped short, a little confounded at finding herself in a large
room full of young ladies, who were dancing reels, and who all stood
still at one and the same instant, and fixed their eyes upon her, struck
with astonishment at her theatrical entrée and exclamation.
"Miss Hodges!" said Mrs. Porett--and a little girl of seven years old
came forward:--"Here, ma'am," said Mrs. Porett to Angelina, "here is
Miss Hodges."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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