The English Novel and the Principle of its DevelopmentLanier, Sidney
History
The English Novel and the Principle of its Development
Lanier, Sidney
English fiction -- History and criticism
'Sophy,' said Mrs. Glegg, unable any longer to contain her spirit
of rational remonstrance, 'Sophy, I wonder _at_ you, fretting and
injuring your health about people as don't belong to you. Your
poor father never did so, nor your aunt Frances neither, nor any
o' the family, as I ever heard of. You couldn't fret no more than
this if we'd heard as our cousin Abbott had died sudden without
making his will.'
Mrs. Pullet was silent, having to finish her crying, and rather
flattered than indignant at being upbraided for crying too much.
It was not every body who could afford to cry so much about their
neighbors who had left them nothing; but Mrs. Pullet had married
a gentleman farmer, and had leisure and money to carry her crying
and every thing else to the highest pitch of respectability.
'Mrs. Sutton didn't die without making her will, though,' said
Mr. Pullet, with a confused sense that he was saying something to
sanction his wife's tears; 'ours is a rich parish, but they say
there's nobody else to leave as many thousands behind 'em as Mrs.
Sutton. And she's left no leggicies, to speak on--left it all in
lump to her husband's nevvy.'
'There wasn't much good i' being so rich, then,' said Mrs. Glegg,
'if she'd got none but husband's kin to leave it to. It's poor
work when that's all you're got to pinch yourself for--not as I'm
one o' those as 'ud like to die without leaving more money out at
interest than other folks had reckoned. But it's a poor tale when
it must go out o' your own family.'
'I'm sure, sister,' said Mrs. Pullet, who had recovered
sufficiently to take off her veil and fold it carefully, 'it's a
nice sort o' man as Mrs. Sutton has left her money to, for he's
troubled with the asthmy, and goes to bed every night at eight
o'clock. He told me about it himself--as free as could be--one
Sunday when he came to our church. He wears a hareskin on his
chest, and has a trembling in his talk--quite a gentlemanly sort
o' man. I told him there wasn't many months in the year as I
wan't under the doctor's hands. And he said, 'Mrs. Pullet, I can
feel for you.' That was what he said--the very words. 'Ah!'
sighed Mrs. Pullet, shaking her head at the idea that there were
but few who could enter fully into her experiences in pink
mixture and white mixture, strong stuff in small bottles, and
weak stuff in large bottles, damp boluses at a shilling, and
draughts at eighteen pence. 'Sister, I may as well go and take my
bonnet off now. Did you see as the capbox was put out?' she
added, turning to her husband.
Mr. Pullet, by an unaccountable lapse of memory, had forgotten
it, and hastened out, with a stricken conscience, to remedy the
omission."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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