Читать книгу Decision онлайн

3 страница из 31

"So much the better," said several gentlemen; but the lady continued her assertions.

"Say what you please, but there are a thousand little things one must do, and must have, which strictly speaking, are not necessary—every wife must seek to sustain her husband's credit; every mother must set off her children, and see them maintain their due rank in society; to my own knowledge, Mrs. Williams was a good manager, and never spent a guinea, or ventured on any extra expenditure, but where it was imperatively called for."

The warmth and feeling with which this was uttered, by a woman who was a model of propriety in her own conduct, silenced, even where it did not convince, and murmuring sounds of pity were succeeding those of blame, when a cynical bachelor who had not yet spoken, cried out in a tone yet more decisive than the lady's,

"Fiddle faddle!—there is no thing imperative but duty."

In another moment, the lately ebbing flow of words returned, and amounted almost to clamourous opposition of Mr. Elderton's assertion, "it is fine talking!" "what can a bachelor know about a family?" "harsh judgments ill become the fortunate," were heard on all sides, and so many condemnatory sentences, and more condemnatory glances, were thrown on the gentleman, that he became an object of pity to the child, who repeated his words over to herself to examine whether they were in themselves offensive, or rendered so by the sharp, and somewhat contemptuous tone in which they were uttered—the result of this examination induced her to believe that the sentiment was right, for it accorded with all her mamma had taught her—she drew near to his chair, and after a short hesitation, said—"then what ought Mr. and Mrs. Williams to have done?"