登陆注册
4704700000021

第21章

And then his wife had changed her mode of her endorsement. It was no longer from, "My dearest John;" it was from "My Honoured Husband." The letters were written on occasion of the publication of the same sermon which was represented in the picture. The preaching before "My Lord Judge," and the "publishing by request," was evidently the culminating point - the event of his life. It had been necessary for him to go up to London to superintend it through the press. Many friends had to be called upon and consulted before he could decide on any printer fit for so onerous a task; and at length it was arranged that J. and J. Rivingtons were to have the honourable responsibility. The worthy rector seemed to be strung up by the occasion to a high literary pitch, for he could hardly write a letter to his wife without cropping out into Latin. I remember the end of one of his letters ran thus: "I shall ever hold the virtuous qualities of my Molly in remembrance, DUM MEMOR IPSE MEI, DUM SPIRITUS REGIT ARTUS," which, considering that the English of his correspondent was sometimes at fault in grammar, and often in spelling, might be taken as a proof of how much he "idealised his Molly;" and, as Miss Jenkyns used to say, "People talk a great deal about idealising now-a-days, whatever that may mean." But this was nothing to a fit of writing classical poetry which soon seized him, in which his Molly figured away as "Maria." The letter containing the CARMEN was endorsed by her, "Hebrew verses sent me by my honoured husband. I thowt to have had a letter about killing the pig, but must wait. Mem., to send the poetry to Sir Peter Arley, as my husband desires." And in a post-scriptum note in his handwriting it was stated that the Ode had appeared in the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, December 1782.

Her letters back to her husband (treasured as fondly by him as if they had been M. T. CICERONIS EPISTOLAE) were more satisfactory to an absent husband and father than his could ever have been to her.

She told him how Deborah sewed her seam very neatly every day, and read to her in the books he had set her; how she was a very "forrard," good child, but would ask questions her mother could not answer, but how she did not let herself down by saying she did not know, but took to stirring the fire, or sending the "forrard" child on an errand. Matty was now the mother's darling, and promised (like her sister at her age), to be a great beauty. I was reading this aloud to Miss Matty, who smiled and sighed a little at the hope, so fondly expressed, that "little Matty might not be vain, even if she were a bewty."

"I had very pretty hair, my dear," said Mist Matilda; "and not a bad mouth." And I saw her soon afterwards adjust her cap and draw herself up.

But to return to Mrs Jenkyns's letters. She told her husband about the poor in the parish; what homely domestic medicines she had administered; what kitchen physic she had sent. She had evidently held his displeasure as a rod in pickle over the heads of all the ne'er-do-wells. She asked for his directions about the cows and pigs; and did not always obtain them, as I have shown before.

The kind old grandmother was dead when a little boy was born, soon after the publication of the sermon; but there was another letter of exhortation from the grandfather, more stringent and admonitory than ever, now that there was a boy to be guarded from the snares of the world. He described all the various sins into which men might fall, until I wondered how any man ever came to a natural death. The gallows seemed as if it must have been the termination of the lives of most of the grandfather's friends and acquaintance; and I was not surprised at the way in which he spoke of this life being "a vale of tears."

It seemed curious that I should never have heard of this brother before; but I concluded that he had died young, or else surely his name would have been alluded to by his sisters.

By-and-by we came to packets of Miss Jenkyns's letters. These Miss Matty did regret to burn. She said all the others had been only interesting to those who loved the writers, and that it seemed as if it would have hurt her to allow them to fall into the hands of strangers, who had not known her dear mother, and how good she was, although she did not always spell, quite in the modern fashion; but Deborah's letters were so very superior! Any one might profit by reading them. It was a long time since she had read Mrs Chapone, but she knew she used to think that Deborah could have said the same things quite as well; and as for Mrs Carter! people thought a deal of her letters, just because she had written "Epictetus," but she was quite sure Deborah would never have made use of such a common expression as "I canna be fashed!"

Miss Matty did grudge burning these letters, it was evident. She would not let them be carelessly passed over with any quiet reading, and skipping, to myself. She took them from me, and even lighted the second candle in order to read them aloud with a proper emphasis, and without stumbling over the big words. Oh dear! how I wanted facts instead of reflections, before those letters were concluded! They lasted us two nights; and I won't deny that I made use of the time to think of many other things, and yet I was always at my post at the end of each sentence.

同类推荐
  • 同治嫖院

    同治嫖院

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 宣汉篇

    宣汉篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 元始天尊说梓童帝君本愿经

    元始天尊说梓童帝君本愿经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Hunting Sketches

    Hunting Sketches

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 黄帝阴符经讲义

    黄帝阴符经讲义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 身心富足的智慧:佛家教会你幸福的人生哲学

    身心富足的智慧:佛家教会你幸福的人生哲学

    内心的丰盈富足会成为一种能量,给人带来源源不断的幸福。本书以佛门智慧为指引,引领人们从做人、做事、行善、经营财富和名利、经营情感等方面平衡身心,迎接富足,并在富足的人生观、价值观、事业观、财富观和爱情观的引导下,用智慧处理生活,让内心达到健康、充实的状态,让幸福不请自来。
  • 二少爷的宠妻日常

    二少爷的宠妻日常

    少爷说,在太夫人的屋子里面不会有好吃的,所以她积极申请,去了少爷的屋子,少爷说,做三等丫头虽然可以在厨房,但是吃不到精致的点心,也不能出去玩,所以她积极的成为了二等丫鬟,少爷说,他四处去做生意,可以看到好多好吃好玩的,但是不能带二等丫鬟出去,只能带一等丫鬟,所以她努力成为一等丫鬟。少爷说,做姨娘只能在小桌子吃饭,而且只能吃青菜萝卜,所以她努力成为少爷夫人。可是……少爷没说,做夫人肚子里面要塞娃娃,塞了娃娃不能吃不能跑不能出去玩,少爷!!奴婢不明白做夫人有什么好!
  • 娘子无耻:狐仙诱夫记

    娘子无耻:狐仙诱夫记

    “我从小有个毛病,恋床。”“然后呢?”“我不光看上了你的人还看上了你的床,既然现在不能睡你的人,我就退而求其次,先睡你的床,如果你想跟我挤挤,我也是不介意的。“全瀛洲女人yy的对象?嗯.....无妨,无妨,先扑倒再说。追一个人的最高境界,不仅是让他对自己示爱,还有就是得猛扑。不过那人可是琅琊大公子啊。
  • 恶魔校草0c

    恶魔校草0c

    有一个傲娇的哥哥是什么感觉?顾朵朵叹气一声:“必须当哄小孩似的哄着!”可是当赫连笙真的生气时,顾朵朵却不知道该怎么办了,于是她找到万能的百度查,在线等,很急!“与其去求别人还不如来求求我。”她的身后响起赫连笙的声音。“可是你生气了,我不敢去”“现在给你这个机会,来求我!”赫连笙骄傲的扬起下巴。“怎,怎么求?”话语刚落她就被床咚,“昨晚我的第一次都被你抢走了,你说呢?”
  • 奇趣天下Ⅱ:冒险家的禁足之地

    奇趣天下Ⅱ:冒险家的禁足之地

    万吨巨轮顷刻间支离破碎永沉海底;飞机失踪数年后出现在遥远的月球;数十人被在黑雾中迷失灵魂;人畜眨眼间被吸入魔窟化为白骨;沙漠中幻象纷繁引人赴死;峡谷里众多冒险者神秘死亡……对于这些神秘之地,人们众说纷纭,有人说是外星人的秘密基地,人类不得入内;有人说是死亡笼罩的所在,误入者必死无疑;也有人说是大自然的禁区,一旦踏入将会遭受灭顶之灾。死亡无法形容的恐怖;神秘不能诠释的离奇。这是地球上最后的秘密,我们称这些区域为——冒险家的禁足之地!
  • 中二国师

    中二国师

    将军家的大小姐宁袖儿八岁的身体里,住着的是一个来自现代的灵魂。当朝国师司焉八岁的身体里,住着的是三十年前开国皇帝的灵魂。所以不明真相的宁袖儿一直觉得这位小国师很怪,放到现代,他就是个中二病晚期。而国师大人也觉得宁袖儿很怪,因为她总是用怜爱的眼神看着他,告诉他一一得一,一二得二……
  • 许你一世之浮生若梦

    许你一世之浮生若梦

    西岳六年一月,大雪纷飞,长达半年的战争使两国人民苦不堪言,在这寒冷刺骨的日子里,新年到了。死寂的大街小巷终有了些热闹的气氛,又一年来了,这战也要打完了。
  • 天才的摇篮:文艺复兴时期的意大利

    天才的摇篮:文艺复兴时期的意大利

    漫步在意大利的大街小巷,人们时不时地会感受到艺术的气息。大卫雕像、大教堂美轮美奂的壁画、精致的雕刻……所有的一切都让我们驻足、陶醉,人们在欣赏、陶醉的同时也不得不钦佩艺术家的精湛技艺。这些伟大的艺术作品并不是凭空产生的,而是经历了一场伟大的革命——文艺复兴。
  • 弃妇也疯狂

    弃妇也疯狂

    【天涯相思阁出品】虽然穿越了~虽然穿成了一个弃妇~虽然穿成了一个带着拖油瓶的弃妇~但是,偶也不是随便将就的主。前夫,闪一边去~将军,考虑一下~皇子,偶誓死不为妾的说~~~嘿嘿,年轻有为的庄主~貌似是个金饭碗!!且看,芯影的不一样的弃妇故事!!!
  • 女总裁的专职保镖

    女总裁的专职保镖

    一个强者重回都市的故事!欢迎加入vip群311749928。