The Governess; Or, The Little Female AcademyFielding, Sarah
General
The Governess; Or, The Little Female Academy
Fielding, Sarah
Didactic fiction; Girls' schools -- Fiction; Governesses -- Fiction; School children -- Fiction; Schools -- Fiction
her falsehood, she defied him, and said that she had got a deed of
gift under his hand, which he could not revoke, and she WOULD enjoy his
fortune in spite of him. Upon which they all looked sadly vexed, till
the good old Trusty went out and came in again, and brought in a man
called Cabinet, who confessed himself the husband to the pretended Lady
Brumpton, and that he was married to her half a year before she was
married to my Lord Brumpton; but as my lord happened to fall in love
with her, they agreed to keep their marriage concealed, in order that
she should marry my lord, and cheat him in the manner she had done; and
the reason that Cabinet came to confess all this was, that he looked
into a closet and saw my lord writing, after he thought he was dead,
and, taking it for his ghost, was by that means frightened into this
confession, which he first made in writing to old Trusty, and therefore
could not now deny it. They were all rejoiced at this discovery, except
the late pretended Lady Brumpton, who sneaked away with Cabinet her
husband; and my Lord Brumpton embraced his son, and gave his consent,
that he should marry Lady Charlotte; and they were all pleased and
happy.’
Here Miss Sukey ceased, and Mrs. Teachum told her she was a very good
girl, and had remembered a great deal of the play. ‘But (said she) in
time, with using yourself to this way of repeating what you have read,
you will come to a better manner, and a more regular method of telling
your story, which you was now so intent upon finishing, that you forgot
to describe what sort of women those two young ladies were, though, as
to all the rest, you have been particular enough.’
‘Indeed, madam, (said Miss Sukey), I had forgot that, but Lady Charlotte
was a very sensible, grave young lady, and lady Harriet was extremely
gay and coquettish; but Mr. Camply tells her how much it misbecomes her
to be so and she having good sense, as well as good nature, is convinced
of her folly, and likes him so well for his reproof, that she consents
to marry him.’
Mrs. Teachum, addressing herself to them all, told them, that this was
a method she wished they would take with whatever they read; for nothing
so strongly imprinted anything on the memory as such a repetition; and
then turning to Miss Jenny Peace, she said, ‘And now, Miss Jenny, I
desire you will speak freely what you think is the chief moral to be
drawn from the play you have just read.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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