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    XXXVI.— RETRIBUTION. ¦ mtut nil* •

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    ^ "I have done a very good morning's wor...

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    ( 242 )

    Xxxvi.— Retribution. ¦ Mtut Nil* •

    XXXVI . — RETRIBUTION . ¦ _mtut nil _*

    ^ "I Have Done A Very Good Morning's Wor...

    _^ "I have done a very good morning ' s work , " said I to my aunt Susanthe other dayin a tone of self - congratulation ; "I have

    been talking , very seriousl , y to _Liicy Reeve , and I do believe I have persuaded her to give up that foolish idea she had of marrying her

    cousin James . He is not at all fit for her ; not her equal either in education , refinement , or position , and she begins to see it now . "

    My aunt Susan put down her knitting , and to be doubly emhaticpulled off her spectacles too , and with unusual energy and

    p , I severity wish said , " Then be able , Mary to undo , you have bad done wo a rk very and wrong leave thing this , mar and - your

    you may , riage to be decided by a wiser will than yours . " " My dear aunt" said I , rather startled , " who would have

    expected you to take , the romantic and imprudent side ! for I am sure , in a worldly point of view , there can be no question as to its being * a

    yeTy imprudent thing for Lucy . And as to a wiser will , you surely don't mean to be superstitious , and fancy marriages are made in

    Heaven !" " I am not imprudentMary , and I am not romantic ; but I dread ,

    above all things , any match , -making or match-breaking . Do not meddle , my dear girl , I beg of you . "

    I was silenced by aunt Susan ' s serious manner , and I watched last her as turning she looked to me into with the a fire sig very h , she steadil said y , iC for Perhaps many min , I am utes almost . At

    superstitious , on this , subject . If you like , I will tell you the reason I feel so strongly about it . It all happened years agoand there is

    , not much story in it , or perhaps interest , except for those who knew and loved them all as I did . "

    But anything in the shape of a story was sufficient attraction for me ; so stirring up the fire , and bringing out a fresh supply of wool , for

    footstool Aunt Susan to her always feet , talked and sai best d , te when Tell she me went all about on knitting it , aunt , I Susan drew a ,

    and don't make it short . I like all the details , and describe everybody ' s appearance , and all the conversations . " And so , after a

    minute or two's pause , aunt Susan began : — When I was about nineteen years old I had a very severe illness ,

    and though I got better of it , it left me very languid and feeble . It was a cold , bleak part of Lancashire where we lived , and my mother

    was very anxious I should have some change , and pass the winter in a better climate ; besides , there were reasons why she thought I

    should be better away from our neighbourhood just then ; and I felt restless tooand as if I wanted to get away from the place where I

    , had been so ill and where some other painful things had b _^ pened

    that year . Now , we could not afford to travel about , and indeed my

• Citation
  • English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), June 1, 1860, page 242, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01061860/page/26/