"What call had you to adopt a
daughter--you with never a wife to mother her nor a house of your own to
take her to? For I reckon nowt of your furnished houses here and your
beggarly apartments there, as you know. And now you can do nothing
better than bring her here to fash the life out of me before the week's
over! But that's always the way with you men. You talk precious big, but
it's mighty little you put your hands to; and when you hack out yokes
for which you get a deal of praise, you take care not to bear them on
your own backs. It's us women who have to do that."
"One would have supposed you would have liked a pretty young thing like
that in the house. You are lonesome enough here, and it makes a little
life," said Emmanuel quietly.
He knew his sister Keziah, and that she must have her head when the
talking fit was on her.
"'A pretty young thing like that!'" she repeated scornfully. "Lord love
you, born cuddy as you are! What's her good looks to me, I wonder, but a
pound spent on a looking-glass, and Jenny taken off her work to make
cakes and butter-sops for her dainty teeth? We'll have all the men-folk
too havering round to see which of 'em may have the honor of ruining
himself for my fine lady. And I'll not have it, I tell ye. I'll not have
my house turned into a fair, with madam there as the show. Life! what do
I want with 'life' about me, or you either, Emmanuel? I've got my right
foot in the grave, and I reckon yours is not far off; and what we've
both got to do now is to see that we make a good ending for our souls.
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