The Duchess of Rosemary Lane: A NovelFarjeon, B. L. (Benjamin Leopold)
General
The Duchess of Rosemary Lane: A Novel
Farjeon, B. L. (Benjamin Leopold)
English fiction -- 19th century
"Knowledge and remembrance aren't close relations," observed Mrs.
Chester with a wise shake of her head. "I can remember some things of
which I've no knowledge. I can remember an orange I had given me when
I was a little one and was dying as they supposed. I can see myself
eating that orange, but I don't know how it came into my hands, or who
give it to me, and nothing else about it except that I was eating it."
Mrs. Chester looked with an air of triumph at Seth, as though she had,
unexpectedly to herself--as was the case--established a difficult
proposition somewhat neatly. "But that's not the way with everybody,
perhaps. You and the Duchess---- I do believe she grows prettier than
ever! I thought she was the most lovely babe I'd ever set eyes on, and
I don't mind telling you now that I felt bad when I saw how beautiful
she was, and how different my dear Sally looked. But Sally's
improving, Mr. Dumbrick."
"That she is, Mrs. Chester. I shouldn't wonder if she grows up quite
pretty. She only wants filling out, but she's that active she doesn't
give time for the flesh to settle on her bones. I'll tell you when she
looked so beautiful in my eyes that I felt she couldn't be improved
upon. It was when I used to come down into the cellar softly without
her knowing, and saw her with her arms round the Duchess's neck,
feeding her, maybe, or singing to her--she's got a nice voice, has
Sally. I don't want ever to see a face prettier-or better than Sally's
face looked then."
This was very sweet in Mrs. Chester's ears, and she said as she
pressed his hand:
"I'm a fortunate woman, with all my troubles."
"We are all of us fortunate," said Seth philosophically, "in spite of
worry and vexation, if we'd only look on it in the right light. But
for all that, the world's wrong."
"In what way, Mr. Dumbrick?"
"We haven't time to talk of it," replied Seth, skilfully evading the
knotty points involved in his assertion; "it'd take me a week. You
were saying a little while ago about me and the Duchess, when you
broke off, or rather you were going to say something about the Duchess
remembering and me not remembering."
"Only that we're not all alike. You're a man as has seen trouble----"
"Not a great deal," interrupted Seth. "I've a notion that those that
have ties of affection enjoy more and suffer more than those that
haven't. Now, I've been a selfish creature all my life, and it's only
lately that I may say I've had ties that have made me care for much
outside myself. Put it another way. Say that I'm a hedgehog, and the
Duchess is an angel. Here's the coach. Goodbye, and good luck to you."
"You've heard nothing of my poor boy Ned, I suppose?"
"Nothing."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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