For all his pain, he longed to see the author of it.
My young lady, you’ve a pretty good temper of your own.
Come poor little heart! be cheery and brave.
But courage, little heart. We will turn back, and by God’s help we may find the lost path.
Oh, of course,” he replied with a change to gravity in his tone. “There are forms and ceremonies to be gone through, not so much to satisfy oneself, as to stop the world’s mouth, without which stoppage there would be very little satisfaction in life.
Mrs. Shaw had as strong wishes as most people, but she never liked to do anything from the open and acknowledged motive of her own good will and pleasure; she preferred being compelled to gratify herself by some other person’s command or desire. She really did persuade herself that she was submitting to some hard external necessity; and thus she was able to moan and complain in her soft manner, all the time she was in reality doing just what she liked.
Mother’s love is given by God, John. It holds fast for ever and ever.
She was fain to get up and go convince herself that he was really there by listening through the door to his even, regular breathing – I don’t like to call it snoring, but I heard it myself through two closed doors.
They were on those happy terms where silence is permissible, and where efforts to act against the prevailing mood of the mind are not required.
But being anxious and sorrowful about the same thing makes people friends quicker than anything, I think.
Thus every hour in its circle brought a duty to be fulfilled; but duties fulfilled are as pleasures to the memory, and little Maggie always thought those early childish days most happy, and remembered them only as filled with careless contentment. -Chapter 1.
But there was danger of the child becoming dreamy, and finding her pleasure in life in reverie, not in action, or endurance, or the holy rest which comes after both, and prepares for further striving or bearing. – chapter 3.
I think if I had been differently brought up I shouldn’t have had the sore angry heart I have.
He spoke two short sentences in a low voice, watching her all the time; for the pupils of her eyes dilated into a black horror, and the whiteness of her complexion became livid. He ceased speaking.
That’s a nice girl of Gibson’s,′ quoth he to himself. ‘But what a tight hold the wench got of the notion of his marrying again! One had need be on one’s guard as to what one says before her. To think of her never having thought of the chance of a step-mother. To be sure, a step-mother to a girl is a different thing to a second wife to a man!
Never had any one more than Cynthia the power spoken of by Goldsmith when he wrote, – He threw off his friends like a huntsman his pack, For he knew when he liked he could whistle them back.
I don’t think I ever saw her out of temper; but then I’m not sure if she takes things keenly to heart, and a certain obtuseness of feeling goes a great way towards a character for good temper, I’ve observed.
It would not have made a bit of difference,′ replied Cynthia. ‘I knew he liked me, and I like to be liked; it’s born in me to try to make every one I come near fond of me; but then they should not carry it too far, for it becomes very troublesome if they do. I shall hate red- haired people for the rest of my life. To think of such a man as that being the cause of your father’s displeasure with me!
If sometimes she forgot and let herself go into all her old naturalness, by-and-by she checked herself, and became comparatively cold and reserved. Roger was pained at all this – more pained day after day; more anxious to discover the cause.
For indeed he had got into that kind of exaggerated susceptibility with regard to his wife’s faults, which may be best typified by the state of bodily irritation that is produced by the constant recurrence of any particular noise: those who are brought within hearing of it, are apt to be always on the watch for the repetition, if they are once made to notice it, and are in an irritable state of nerves.