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043 - Margaret's Flittin' · North and South

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Speaker 1: Chapter forty three of North and South. This is a
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Speaker 1: Reading by Robin Cotter, October two thousand seven. North and
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Speaker 1: South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, chapter forty three, Margaret's flitting,
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Speaker 1: The meanest thing to which we bid adieu, loses its
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Speaker 1: meanness In the parting hour, Elliott missus Shaw took as
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Speaker 1: vehement a dislike as it was possible for one of
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Speaker 1: her gentle nature to do against Milton. It was noisy
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Speaker 1: and smoky, and the poor people whom she saw in
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Speaker 1: the streets were dirty, and the rich ladies overdressed, and
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Speaker 1: not a man that she saw, high or low, had
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Speaker 1: his clothes made to fit him. She was sure Margaret
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Speaker 1: would never regain her lost strength while she stayed in Milton,
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Speaker 1: and she herself was afraid of one of her old
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Speaker 1: attacks of the nerves. Margaret must remain with her, and
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Speaker 1: that quickly. This, if not the exact force of her words,
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Speaker 1: was at any rate the spirit of which she urged
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Speaker 1: on Margaret till the latter weak, weary and broken, spirited,
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Speaker 1: yielded a reluctant promise that as soon as Wednesday was over,
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Speaker 1: she would prepare to accompany her aunt back to town,
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Speaker 1: leaving Dixon in charge of all the arrangements for paying bills,
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Speaker 1: disposing of furniture, and shutting up the house before that Wednesday,
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Speaker 1: that mournful Wednesday, when mister Hale was to be interred,
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Speaker 1: far away from either of the homes he had known
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Speaker 1: in life, and far away from the wife who lay
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Speaker 1: lonely among strangers. And this last was Margaret's great trouble,
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Speaker 1: for she thought that if she had not given way
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Speaker 1: to that overwhelming stupor during the first sad days, she
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Speaker 1: could have arranged things otherwise. Before that Wednesday, Margaret received
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Speaker 1: a letter from mister Bell. My dear Margaret, I did
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Speaker 1: mean to have returned to Milton on Thursday, but unluckily
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Speaker 1: it turns out to be one of the rare occasions
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Speaker 1: when we Plymouth fellows are called upon to perform any
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Speaker 1: kind of duty, and I must not be absent from
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Speaker 1: my post. Captain Lennox and mister Thornton are here. The
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Speaker 1: former seems a smart, well meaning man, and has proposed
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Speaker 1: to go over to Milton and assist you in any
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Speaker 1: search for the will. Of course, there is none, or
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Speaker 1: you would have found it by this time if you
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Speaker 1: followed my directions. Then the captain declares he must take
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Speaker 1: you and his mother in law home, and in his
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Speaker 1: wife's present state. I don't see how you can expect
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Speaker 1: him to remain away longer than Friday. However, that Dixon
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Speaker 1: of yours is trusty and can hold her or your
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Speaker 1: own till I come. I will put matters into the
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Speaker 1: hands of my Milton attorney. If there is no will,
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Speaker 1: for I doubt this smart captain is no great man
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Speaker 1: of business. Nevertheless, his mustachios are splendid. There will have
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Speaker 1: to be a sale. So select what things you wish reserved,
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Speaker 1: or you can send a list afterwards. Now two things more,
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Speaker 1: and I have done you know, or if you don't,
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Speaker 1: your poor father did that. You are to have my
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Speaker 1: money and goods when I die. Not that I mean
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Speaker 1: to die yet, But I name this lust to explain
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Speaker 1: what is coming. These Lennoxes seem very fond of you now,
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Speaker 1: and perhaps may continue to be, perhaps not. So it
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Speaker 1: is best to start with a formal agreement, namely that
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Speaker 1: you are to pay them two hundred and fifty pounds
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Speaker 1: a year, as long as you and they find it
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Speaker 1: pleasant to live together. This of course includes Dixon. Mind
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Speaker 1: you don't be cajoled into paying any more for her.
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Speaker 1: Then you won't be thrown adrift if some day the
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Speaker 1: captain wishes to have his house to himself, but you
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Speaker 1: can carry yourself and your two hundred and fifty pounds
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Speaker 1: off somewhere else. If indeed I have not claimed you,
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Speaker 1: to come and keep house for me first, then as
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Speaker 1: to dress and Dixon, and personal expenses and confectionery, all
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Speaker 1: young ladies eat confectionery till wisdom comes by age. I
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Speaker 1: shall consult some lady of my acquaintance and see how
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Speaker 1: much you will have from your father before fixing this now, Margaret,
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Speaker 1: have you flown out before you have read this far
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Speaker 1: and wondered what right the old man has to settle
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Speaker 1: your affairs for you? So cavalierly, I make no doubt
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Speaker 1: you have yet The old man has a right. He
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Speaker 1: has loved your father for five and thirty years. He
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Speaker 1: stood beside him on his wedding day, he closed his
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Speaker 1: eyes in death. Moreover, he is your godfather, and as
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Speaker 1: he cannot do you much goods virtually, having a hidden
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Speaker 1: consciousness of your superiority in such things, he would fain
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Speaker 1: do you the poor good of endowing you materially. And
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Speaker 1: the old man has not a known relation on earth?
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Speaker 1: Who is there to mourn for? Adam Bell and his
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Speaker 1: whole heart is set and bent upon this thing. And
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Speaker 1: Margaret Hale is not the girl to say him nay.
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Speaker 1: Write by return, if only two lines to tell me
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Speaker 1: your answer, But no thanks, Margaret took up a pen
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Speaker 1: and scrawled with trembling hand, Margaret Hale is not the
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Speaker 1: girl to say him nay. In her weak state, she
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Speaker 1: could not think of any other words, And yet she
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Speaker 1: was vexed to use these. But she was so much
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Speaker 1: fatigued even by this slight exertion, that if she could
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Speaker 1: have thought of another form of acceptance, she could not
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Speaker 1: have sate up to write a syllable of it. She
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Speaker 1: was obliged to lie down again and try not to think,
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Speaker 1: my dearest child, has that letter vexed or troubled you? No,
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Speaker 1: Margaret said, feebly, I shall be better when to morrow
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Speaker 1: is over. I feel sure, darling, you won't be better
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Speaker 1: till I get you out of this horrid air. How
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Speaker 1: you can have borne it these two years? I can't
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Speaker 1: imagine where could I go to. I could not leave
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Speaker 1: Papa and Mamma. Well, don't distress yourself, my dear, I
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Speaker 1: dare say it was all for the best. Only I
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Speaker 1: had no conception of how you were living. Our butler's
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Speaker 1: wife lives in a better house than this. It is
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Speaker 1: sometimes very pretty in summer. You can't judge by what
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Speaker 1: it is now. I have been very happy here, and
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Speaker 1: Margaret closed her eyes by way of stopping the conversation.
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Speaker 1: The house teemed with comfort now compared to what it
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Speaker 1: had done. The evenings were chilly, and by missus Shaw's directions,
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Speaker 1: fires were lighted in every bedroom. She petted Margaret in
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Speaker 1: every possible way, and bought every delicacy or soft luxury
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Speaker 1: in which she herself would have burrowed and sought comfort.
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Speaker 1: But Margaret was indifferent to all these things, or if
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Speaker 1: they forced themselves upon her attention, it was simply as
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Speaker 1: causes for gratitude to her aunt, who was putting herself
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Speaker 1: so much out of her way to think of her.
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Speaker 1: She was restless, though so weak. All the day long,
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Speaker 1: she kept herself from thinking of the ceremony which was
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Speaker 1: going on at Oxford. By wandering from room to room
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Speaker 1: and languidly setting aside such articles as she wished to retain.
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Speaker 1: Dixon followed her by missus Shaw's desire, ostensibly to receive instructions,
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Speaker 1: but with a private injunction to soothe her into repose
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Speaker 1: as soon as might be these books, Dixon, I will
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Speaker 1: keep all the rest, will you send to mister Bell.
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Speaker 1: They are of a kind that he will value for
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Speaker 1: themselves as well as for Papa's sake. This I should
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Speaker 1: like you to take this to mister Thornton after I
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Speaker 1: am gone stay I will write a note with it.
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Speaker 1: And she sate down hastily, as if afraid of thinking,
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Speaker 1: and wrote, dear sir, the accompanying book I am sure
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Speaker 1: will be valued by you for the sake of my father,
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Speaker 1: to whom it belonged, Yours, sincerely, Margaret Hale. She set
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Speaker 1: out again upon her travels through the house, turning over
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Speaker 1: articles known to her from her childhood, with a sort
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Speaker 1: of caressing reluctance to leave them old fashioned, worn and
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Speaker 1: shabby as they might be. But she hardly spoke again,
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Speaker 1: and Dixon's report to missus Shaw was that she doubted
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Speaker 1: whether miss Hale heard a word of what she said,
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Speaker 1: though she talked the whole time in order to divert
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Speaker 1: her attention. The consequence of being on her feet all
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Speaker 1: day was excessive bodily weariness in the evening, and a
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Speaker 1: better night's rest than she had had since she had
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Speaker 1: heard of mister Hale's death. At breakfast time the next day,
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Speaker 1: she expressed her wish to go and bid one or
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Speaker 1: two friends good bye. Missus Shaw objected, I am sure,
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Speaker 1: my dear, you can have no friends here with whom
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Speaker 1: you are sufficiently intimate to justify you in calling upon
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Speaker 1: them so soon before you have been at church. But
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Speaker 1: to day's my only day. If Captain Lennox comes this afternoon,
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Speaker 1: and if we must, if I must really go to morrow,
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Speaker 1: oh yes, we shall go to morrow. I am more
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Speaker 1: and more convinced that this air is bad for you
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Speaker 1: and makes you look so pale and ill. Besides, Edith
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Speaker 1: expects us, and she may be waiting me, And you
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Speaker 1: cannot be left alone, my dear, at your age. No,
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Speaker 1: if you must pay these calls, I will go with you.
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Speaker 1: Dixon can get us a coach. I suppose so, Missus
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Speaker 1: Shaw went to take care of Margaret, and took her
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Speaker 1: maid with her to take care of the shawls and
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Speaker 1: air cushions. Margaret's face was too sad to lighten up
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Speaker 1: into a smile at all this preparation for paying two
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Speaker 1: visits that she had often made by herself at all
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Speaker 1: hours of the day. She was half afraid of owning
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Speaker 1: that one place to which she was going was Nicholas Higgins's.
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Speaker 1: All she could do was to hope her aunt would
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Speaker 1: be indisposed to get out of the coach and walk
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Speaker 1: up the court, and at every breath of wind have
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Speaker 1: her face slapped by wet clothes hanging out to dry
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Speaker 1: on ropes stretched from house to house. There was a
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Speaker 1: little battle in missus Shaw's mind between ease and a
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Speaker 1: sense of matronly propriety, but the former gained the day, and,
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Speaker 1: with many an injunction to Margaret to be careful of
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Speaker 1: herself and not to catch any fever such as was
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Speaker 1: always lurking in such places, her aunt permitted her to
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Speaker 1: go where she had often been before, without taking any
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Speaker 1: precaution or requiring any permission. Nicholas was out only Mary
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Speaker 1: and one or two of the Bouchet children at home,
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Speaker 1: Margaret was vexed with herself for not having timed her
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Speaker 1: visit better. Mary had a very blunt intellect, although her
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Speaker 1: feelings were warm and kind, and the instant she understood
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Speaker 1: what Margaret's purpose was in coming to see them, she
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Speaker 1: began to cry and sob with so little restraint that
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Speaker 1: Margaret found it useless to say any of the thousand
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Speaker 1: little things which had suggested themselves to her as she
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Speaker 1: was coming along in the coach. She could only try
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Speaker 1: to comfort her a little by suggesting the vague chance
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Speaker 1: of their meeting again at some possible time, in some
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Speaker 1: possible place, and bid her tell her father how much
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Speaker 1: she wished, if he could manage it, that he should
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Speaker 1: come see her when he had done his work in
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Speaker 1: the evening. As she was leaving the place, she stopped
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Speaker 1: and looked round, then hesitated a little before she said,
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Speaker 1: I should like to have some little thing to remind
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Speaker 1: me of Bessy. Instantly Mary's generosity was keenly alive. What
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Speaker 1: could they give? And on Margaret's singling out a little
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Speaker 1: common drinking cup, which she remembered as the one always
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Speaker 1: standing by Bessy's side with drink for her feverish lips.
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Speaker 1: Mary said, Oh, take summut better, That only cost fourpence.
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Speaker 1: That will do, Thank you, said Margaret, and she went
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Speaker 1: quickly away, while the light caused by the pleasure of
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Speaker 1: having something to give yet lingered on Mary's face. Now
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Speaker 1: to Missus Thornton's thought, she to herself it must be done,
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Speaker 1: But she looked rather rigid and pale at the thought
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Speaker 1: of it, and had hard work to find the exact
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Speaker 1: words in which to explain to her aunt who Missus
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Speaker 1: Thornton was and why she should go to bid her farewell.
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Speaker 1: They for Missus Shaw alighted here were shown into the
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Speaker 1: drawing room, in which a fire had only just been kindled.
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Speaker 1: Missus Shaw huddled herself up in her shawl and shivered.
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Speaker 1: What an icy room, she said. They had to wait
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Speaker 1: for some time before Missus Thornton entered. There was some
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Speaker 1: softening in her heart towards Margaret, now that she was
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Speaker 1: going away out of her sight. She remembered her spirit,
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Speaker 1: as shown at various times and places, even more than
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Speaker 1: the patience with which she had endured long and wearing cares,
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Speaker 1: her countenance was blander than usual. As she greeted her,
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Speaker 1: there was even a shade of tenderness in her manner
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Speaker 1: as she noticed the white, tear swollen face and the
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Speaker 1: quiver in the voice which Margaret tried to make so steady.
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Speaker 1: Allow me to introduce my aunt, Missus Shaw. I am
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Speaker 1: going away from Milton tomorrow. I do not know if
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Speaker 1: you are aware of it, but I wanted to see
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Speaker 1: you once again, Missus Thornton, to to apologize for my
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Speaker 1: manner the last time I saw you, and to say
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Speaker 1: that I am sure you meant kindly, however much we
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Speaker 1: may have misunderstood each other. Missus Shaw looked extremely perplexed
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Speaker 1: by what Margaret had said. Thanks for kindness and apologies
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Speaker 1: for failure and good manners. But Missus Thornton replied, miss Hale,
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Speaker 1: I am glad you do me justice. I did no
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Speaker 1: more than I believe to be my duty in remonstrating
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Speaker 1: with you as I did. I have always desired to
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Speaker 1: act the part of a friend to you. I am
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Speaker 1: glad you do me justice, Anne, said Margaret, blushing excessively
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Speaker 1: as she spoke. Will you do me justice? And believe
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Speaker 1: that though I cannot, I do not choose to give
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Speaker 1: explanations of my conduct. I have not acted in the
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Speaker 1: unbecoming way you apprehend it. Margaret's voice was so soft
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Speaker 1: and her eyes so pleading that Missus Thornton was for
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Speaker 1: once affected by the charm of manner to which she
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Speaker 1: had hitherto proved herself invulnerable. Yes, I do believe you.
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Speaker 1: Let us say no more about it. Where are you
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Speaker 1: going to reside? Miss Hale? I understood from mister Bell
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Speaker 1: that you are going to leave Milton. You never liked Milton,
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Speaker 1: you know, said Missus Thornton, with a sort of grim smile.
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Speaker 1: But for all that, you must not expect me to
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Speaker 1: congratulate you on quitting it. Where shall you live with
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Speaker 1: my aunt? Replied Margaret, turning towards Missus Shaw. My niece
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Speaker 1: will reside with me in Harley Street. She is almost
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Speaker 1: like a daughter to me, said Missus Shaw, looking fondly
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Speaker 1: at Margaret. And I I am glad to acknowledge my
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Speaker 1: own obligation for any kindness that has been shown to her.
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Speaker 1: If you and your husband ever come to town, my son
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Speaker 1: and daughter, Captain and Missus Lennox, will I am sure
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Speaker 1: join with me in wishing to do anything in our
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Speaker 1: power to show you attention. Missus Thornton thought in her
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Speaker 1: own mind that Margaret had not taken much care to
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Speaker 1: enlighten her aunt as to the relationship between the mister
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Speaker 1: and Missus Thornton, towards whom the fine lady aunt was
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Speaker 1: extending her soft patronage. So she answered shortly, my husband
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Speaker 1: is dead. Mister Thornton is my son. I never go
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Speaker 1: to London, so I am not likely to be able
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Speaker 1: to avail myself of your polite offers. At this instant,
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Speaker 1: mister Thornton entered the room. He had only just returned
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Speaker 1: from Oxford his morning suit. Spoke of the reason that
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Speaker 1: had called him there. John said his mother, This lady
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Speaker 1: is Missus Shaw, miss Hale's aunt. I am sorry to
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Speaker 1: say that. Miss Hale's call is to wish us good bye.
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Speaker 1: You are going, then, said he, in a low voice. Yes,
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Speaker 1: said Margaret. We leave tomorrow. My son in law comes
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Speaker 1: this evening to escort us, said Missus Shaw. Mister Thornton
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Speaker 1: turned away. He had not sat down, and now he
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Speaker 1: seemed to be examining something on the table, almost as
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Speaker 1: if he had discovered an unopened letter which had made
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Speaker 1: him forget the present company. He did not even seem
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Speaker 1: to be aware when they got up to take leave.
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Speaker 1: He started forwards, however, to hand missus Shaw down to
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Speaker 1: the carriage. As it drove up. He and Margaret stood
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Speaker 1: close together on the doorstep, and it was impossible but
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Speaker 1: that the recollection of the day of the riot should
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Speaker 1: force itself into both their minds. Into his, it came
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Speaker 1: associated with the speeches of the following day, her passionate
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Speaker 1: declaration that there was not a man in all that
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Speaker 1: violent and desperate crowd for whom she did not care
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Speaker 1: as much as for him. And at the remembrance of
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Speaker 1: her taunting words, his brow grew stern, though his heart
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Speaker 1: beat thick with a longing love. No said he. I
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Speaker 1: put it to the touch once and I lost it all.
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Speaker 1: Let her go, with her stony heart and her beauty,
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Speaker 1: how set and terrible her look is now, For all
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Speaker 1: her loveliness of feature, she is afraid I shall speak
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Speaker 1: what will require some stern repression. Let her go, Beauty
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Speaker 1: and heiress as she may be, she will find it
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Speaker 1: hard to meet with a truer heart than mine. Let
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Speaker 1: her go. And there was no tone of regret or
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Speaker 1: emotion of any kind in the voice with which he
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Speaker 1: said good bye, and the offered hand was taken with
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Speaker 1: irresolute calmness, and dropped as carelessly as if it had
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Speaker 1: been a dead and withered flower. But none in his
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Speaker 1: household saw mister Thornton again that day. He was busily engaged,
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Speaker 1: or so he said. Margaret's strength was so utterly exhausted
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Speaker 1: by these visits that she had to submit to much
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Speaker 1: watch and petting and sighing. I told you so's from
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Speaker 1: her aunt Dixon said. She was quite as bad as
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Speaker 1: she had been on the first day she heard of
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Speaker 1: her father's death, and she and missus Shaw consulted as
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Speaker 1: to the desirableness of delaying the morrow's journey. But when
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Speaker 1: her aunt reluctantly proposed a few days delay to Margaret,
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Speaker 1: the latter writhed her body as if in acute suffering,
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Speaker 1: and said, oh, let us go. I cannot be patient here.
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Speaker 1: I shall not get well here. I want to forget.
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Speaker 1: So the arrangements went on, and Captain Lennox came, and
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Speaker 1: with him news of Edith and the little boy. And
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Speaker 1: Margaret found that the indifferent, careless conversation of one who,
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Speaker 1: however kind, was not too warm and anxious a sympathizer
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Speaker 1: did her good. She roused up, and by the time
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Speaker 1: that she knew she might expect Higgins, she was able
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Speaker 1: to leave the room quietly and await in her own
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Speaker 1: chamber the expected summons, said he as she came in
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Speaker 1: to think of the old gentleman dropping off as he did,
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Speaker 1: you might a knocked me down with a straw when
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Speaker 1: they telled me. Mister Hale said, I him as was good,
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Speaker 1: the parson, ay said. They then said, I there's as
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Speaker 1: good a man gone as ever lived on this earth.
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Speaker 1: Let who will be t'other? And I came to see
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Speaker 1: you and tell you how grieved I were. But them
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Speaker 1: women in the kitchen wouldn't tell you I were there.
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Speaker 1: They said you were ill, and butter me. But you
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Speaker 1: dunnot look like the same wench. And you're going to
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Speaker 1: be a grand lady up in lunnon, aren't yo? Not
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Speaker 1: a grand lady? Said Margaret, half smiling. Well, Thornton said,
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Speaker 1: says he a day or two ago, Higgins, have you
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Speaker 1: seen miss Hale? No, says I. There's a pack o
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Speaker 1: women who won't let me at her. But I can
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Speaker 1: bide my time if she's ill. She and I knows
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Speaker 1: each other pretty well, And who'll not go doubting that
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Speaker 1: I'm main sorry for the old gentleman's death, jes because
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Speaker 1: I can't get at her and tell her so, and
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Speaker 1: says he, you'll not have much time for to try
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Speaker 1: and see her, my fine chap. She's not for staying
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Speaker 1: with us a day longer, nor she can help. She's
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Speaker 1: got grand relations and they're carrying her off, and we
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Speaker 1: sha'n't see her no more. Measter said I. If I
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Speaker 1: dunnot see her afore who goes? I'll strive to get
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Speaker 1: up to Lunnon next wisten tide that I will. I'll
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Speaker 1: not be balked of seeing her goodbye by any relations.
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Speaker 1: What's some devor, But bless you, I'd know you'd come.
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Speaker 1: It were only for to humor the Measter. I let
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Speaker 1: aunt as if I thought you'd map and leave Milton
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Speaker 1: without seeing me. You're quite right, said Margaret. You only
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Speaker 1: do me justice, and you'll not forget me. I'm sure.
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Speaker 1: If no one else in Milton remembers me, I'm certain
20:47
Speaker 1: you will, and Papa too. You know how good and
20:51
Speaker 1: tender he was. Look, Higgins, here is his bible. I've
20:55
Speaker 1: kept it for you. I can ill spare it, but
20:58
Speaker 1: I know he would have liked you to have it.
21:00
Speaker 1: I'm sure you'll care for it and study what is
21:03
Speaker 1: in it for his sake. You may say that if
21:06
Speaker 1: it were the deuce's own scribble, and you axed me
21:09
Speaker 1: to read in it for your sake and the old gentleman's,
21:12
Speaker 1: I'd do it. What's this, wench, I'm not going for
21:16
Speaker 1: to take your brass, so dunnot think it. We've been
21:19
Speaker 1: great friends. Bout the sound o money passing between us
21:23
Speaker 1: for the children. For Bouchet's children, said Margaret, hurriedly. They
21:28
Speaker 1: may need it. You've no right to refuse it for them.
21:31
Speaker 1: I would not give you a penny, she said, smiling.
21:34
Speaker 1: Don't think there's any of it for you? Well, Wench,
21:37
Speaker 1: I can no but say bless you, and bless you
21:41
Speaker 1: and amen. End of Chapter forty three.