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that will not destroy life in work without end . They think many things , as they tell me , and whisper to each other ; but they pretend to think differently in public ; and many a man who will disown an " infidel" friend , or a " republican , " or a freethinker in morals , goes to church only to endure a form , while he thinks of anything but the " humbug" around him ; reverences neither his sovereign nor even his own escocheon , and ends his days in places which he would resent to hear talked about . That they call freedom . That , and trade , they call greatness . And for their humanity—I will give you the specimen which has awakened these thoughts .
I came down to fulfil my promise to Fanny Chetham , whom I found very mufti harassed by terror , and the dread that I had forgotten her . I never shall forget how her lips clung to my hand , with the yearning of gratitude " because I had remembered her . " But I will teir you . Her child had a father , whom she has newer named . She has never heard from him . I think that her fidelity is caused by nothing else but the blind instinct of love between man and woman—an honourableness dictated by the wisdom of the body ; for she has more of the original strength than he has , miserable cripple that he has become under the regimen of civilization . But after I had talked with her , I discovered a cousin that she
had , who is well off , and whom she had asked to help her . She had known him always , although his successes , and her lowly servitude , had led them quite to different conditions . To her asking for help , he answered , that he had attained fortune by his own exertions and his father ' s , while she had , forfeited it by her own deliberate choice ; that if he were to give some of his means , as he always does to the extent of ten per cent ., it would be to " a more deserving object ; " and that he recognized no claim in her merely because their mothers had been cousins . She wrote
again , telling him that she wanted none of his ten per cent ., but that he had carpets , and other luxuries , and that he must spare her some of that , his own ease , in her hard necessity . The girl was angry , and I doubt not , she wrote well . He replied , — " My dear Fanny "—and then went on , telling her that he had chosen carpets , &c , she had chosen no carpets , &c . ; and so they each had what they had chosen . He said he owed her " no ill will , " but that " he must adhere to principle . "
Now , who was that ? It was Markham ! Another person , however , sent Fanny twenty pounds for her help . Who ? " It is a woman / " said Fanny , '' by the writing ; and I do not know any woman who would send to me , unless it were one who had been wronged ; and therefore I think I know who it is . " " Who ? " I asked . " Mark ' s housekeeper , as he calls her . And there is the money . Send it her back , for she will want it sorely , some day ; and do for me what you can , for you will not grudge it . " And Fanny , tossing the packet of money carelessly into my hands , leaned back , and shut her eyes .
Who , then , is this rude girl , who thus nobly refuses help from one who may want it worse ; who upbraids the accomplished Markham , wiser in her rudeness than all his philosophy ; who understands what you and I have so often talked of in our most earnest talk , and of which she , I believe ,
cannot even think S She is but a rude girl , after all ; but it is that she is a girl . Why had she " fallen ? " Because the miserable , half-instructed William had appealed to her affection and to her instinct . Why had she destroyed her child ? Because society condemned that which had guided her—her instinct—and had taught her nothing instead . Why did she trust nit : ? Because I did not mean to deceive her . She welcomes my fellowship , more than my help ; and now that she is secure of some support , she ceases to drend her fate . " I deserve it , " she says '; " htif . T do not deserve to be abandoned . 1 killed the dear little thing ,
because—I did not know what to do ; but I did not leave it . Hr abandoned me ; but I have never forgotten—what we said to each other . And yet 1 never gave myself up to him as I do to you , if 1 were only worth giving ; for " - —and she looked at me abruptly , with n peremptory , flushed countenance , as though she fiercely insisted on saying what I might forbid if I pleased— " I love you . " The murderess ! But the instinct of woman is ever true : where she is
sustained , where she finds help and courage , where the truth , there , if she be free , she loves . Past events , prison grates , anxieties , terrors , could not alter or pervert the dm ; course of nature . Fanny is still young , still has a trace of rosy blood in her young cheek , and as she had grown , so did she unfold . A feeling of respect and tenderness , such as you can imagine , made me veil her crime from the gaze even of my own eyes , and soothe ; the terror of rtiinor . se ; and if she had been a sister , I could not have
rejoiced more to see her restored to a gentler fortitude .. She cannot talk , she cannot think , with any educated method ; but under adversity and tender reflection , a rapid education is con verting the rude wench into n lady , whose discrimination between the noble and the base might , shame many of those that would readily enough east stones at her . Werneth joins nit ; heartily . We have engaged the best " of counsel on the circuit , and then ; art ; some hopes of a lenient consideration of her ease .
And 1 wrote a letter to Markham , brief and savage ; which he has nnsweretl by sending to poor Fanny a letter that made ; her werp with kind gratitude ; mul to me , for her use , a blank cheek , and a letter of the noblest , simplest , and directest confession of " error in reasoning . " Markhum is a noble fellow ; though he had a monstrous aspect in my
eyes more than once . The approving glances of the attorney , on his bri f Napoleonic dictations in the meeting at Johnson ' s , made me suspect him His hard headed philosophy was repulsive ; and his correspondence with poor Fanny Chetham amounted to depravity . But the stuff of the mar has not been perverted , and he has strength to cast off the disease William is the wretched wreck of a stunted nature ; but even he is not so offensive as a creature whom I have found in Audley ' s house . I do not know much of the race , but for anything that appears on the surface you might suppose him the type of a class common enough . You remember that when Fanny Chetham fainted at the sight of me on the stairs , at night , I was conscious of an inexplicable turmoil , more than
seemed necessary for the occasion : this new discovery of mine was at the bottom of it . It is a fine gentleman , a man well enough to look at ; tall better endowed with chest and whiskers than the average of his countrymen ; well dressed , well practised in the usages of society : trained to the deportment which is received in the highest circles ; familiar with the use of all the implements that appear at table ; versed in all the dishes of all the countries that a gentleman ' s cook can produce ; practised in bienseances , and , in short , a perfect gentleman . If there is a fault to find with him , it is that he is too well appointed ; has a neckcloth too much of the last cut , a perfectionated model of the clergyman or waiter ; appears in a variety of waistcoats too refined in their taste : is too clean in every grain , as if he
had but that instant escaped from the washing basm ; is too irreproachable in the neatness of his utterance , blameless in the management of his finger ends , and altogether , externally , a kind of spotless " perfect gentleman . " He is an excellent politician ; thoroughly acquainted with all public men , and with their relations amongst each other ; knows all their marriages and intermarriages , all the seats for which they have sat , all the questions on which they have voted ; and can discuss the merits of these questions with singular intelligence , polished language , and thorough information . If there is a fault to be found with his conversation it is that it is rather too
like the leading article of a newspaper ; one has a faint reminiscence of the smell of the Times newspaper while he talks . Only he is not prejudiced like the journals ; for he is a perfect gentleman , and a perfect gentleman never is the slave of prejudice . He is an excellent boatman , the best rower in the party ; he is a good horseman , not so good as some that I have seen , but altogether he sits the saddle in excellent style . This man is the tutor of Audley ' s family ; himself a man of good birth , a cadet with " a little independency , " amounting to , I do not know what . Perhaps it pays his tailor ' s bills , or suffices to keep up his tailor ' s credit . He has a good name , a good education , a " little economy" in some bank or other ; for he .,,. ^ - ^ r . „ r , i , n ~ -. . u ^ . ^ . 1 , ^ . o oiroi-ir Tiorfp /> f « tpti 11 pirn ? iti should : and he teaches sports chequebookas ev perfect gentleman should ; and he teaches
a - , ery the masculine Audleys of the rising generation how to behave as gentlemen . Audley himself is rather shy . He is self-possessed at the head of his table , and good in the exercise of hospitality ; but there is a kind of diffidence about the man which makes him shrink from an assertion of his own undoubted capacity ; and on such occasions , my well-waistcoated friend comes to the rescue , " draws out his host , " and then retires into conversation with some forgotten neighbour , in an ostentatious modesty and " sense of his position" altogether admirable . King is master ot the situation , whatever it may be , and he knows it . There is a supercilious indifference and absence of self-assertion in all that he does ,
characteristic of a man reposing on conscious greatness . To-day Werneth and Audley were absent in the town . Werneth had gone to complete certain legal arrangements , and Audley had taken t ie opportunity to transact some business and help Werneth . Conway , who is down here , had gone with them , and they were not to be back till teatime . King had done me the honour to treat me with great familiarity and confidence ; and in the absence of the master of the house , he permitted himself quietly , and with accustomed taste , to ^ assume rather inoi than the ordinary amount of ease and command . The ladies all n ! " ^ Mrs . Audley stopping , naturally ewough , to say a few last words to quasi host . Easy indifference , a half carelessness of listening h ^ rtiy Jf his audible whisper , inspired me with a feeling of dislike . I did n <> ¦ what passed , except the words , " My dearest creature , " uttered m " air of remonstrance at once condescending and assuring . M rs .
left the room rather abruptly , with an angry fling ; and Mng . ,, ^ leasly throwing the napkin that he had been dangling over the lm ' ^ . chair , threw himself into .-mother , with a charming little air oi w «» "J y ^ and lie lay back for a few moments , his head resting on the l »» > elbows on ' the arms , and the tips of his fingers meeting . ^ 1 do not remember nil our conversation , but I do remeiiil > ei - ^ ^^ began with some platitudes about the exnetingness of wol " <' f ; '" " ,, f with u grave and friendly candour , King began to let out conies ^ ^^ various little responsibilities that encumbered him . I endeiivourec - ^ ^^ it , by turning the conversation ; but it was of no use . My evasions lV '' | ' . '
for misconceptions , and only served as the pretexts lor new co ^ ^^ The poor fellow confessed , with an air of solemn concern no . ° iiinK , ; lf to ing his self-possession , that in point of fart he !» ' <> perniittet - ^ ^ become responsible to almost all the ladies in the house ^ ^ state this fact in English society at large , because , » UlolI K f () (| jswhether it is so exceptional as i <; looks , everybody would I * J ^^ ,,,,. , believe me ; and yet it is a very simple fact , and not so ""'' . in (| st | ,, lVo it looks . Audley , I suppose , once loved and won his wile , - twite . —» been a very sprightly and handsome girl ; but he is now a «*
Untitled Article
112 o THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 20, 1852, page 1120, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1961/page/20/
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