Tales and Novels — Volume 05 by Maria Edgeworth
page 39 of 572 (06%)
page 39 of 572 (06%)
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newspapers! Here's a paragraph I cut out this very morning from my
paper, lest the poor girl should see it. The other day, I believe you saw it yourself, there was something of the same sort. 'We hear that, as soon as he comes of age, Mr. Beaumont, of Beaumont Park, is to lead to the altar of Hymen, Miss Hunter, sister to Sir John Hunter, of Devonshire.' Well,--after you left the room, Albina took up the paper you had been reading; and when she saw this paragraph, I thought she would have dropped. I did not know what to do. Whatever I could say, you know, would only make it worse. I tried to turn it off, and talked of twenty things; but it would not do--no, no, it is too serious for that: well, though I believe she would rather have put her hand in the fire, she had the courage to speak to me about it herself." "And what did she say, ma'am?" inquired Mr. Beaumont, eagerly. "Poor simple creature! she had but one idea--that you had seen it! that she would not for the world you had read it. What would you think of her--she should never be able to meet you again--What could she do? It must be contradicted--somebody must contradict it. Then she worried me to have it contradicted in the papers. I told her I did not well know how that could be done, and urged that it would be much more prudent not to fix attention upon the parties by more paragraphs. But she was _not_ in a state to think of prudence;--_no_. What would you think was the only idea in her mind?--If I would not write, she would write that minute herself, and sign her name. This, and a thousand wild things, she said, till I was forced to be quite angry, and to tell her she must be governed by those who had more discretion than herself. Then she was so subdued, so ashamed--really my heart bled for her, even whilst I scolded her. But it is quite necessary to be harsh with her; for she has no more foresight, nor art, nor command of herself sometimes, than a child of |
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