'Boys, girls, and cows!
Something has gone wrong with you besides the rain.'
Nothing on earth, sir,--except the boredom.'
'Some young man has been talking to you, Bella.'
'One or two, mother; and I got to thinking if any one of them
should ask me to marry him, and if moved by some evil destiny I
were to take him, whether I should murder him, or myself, or run
away with one of the others.'
'Couldn't you bear with him till, according to your own theory, he
would grow out of his folly?' said the father.
'Being a woman,--no. The present moment is always everything to me.
When that horrid old harridan halloed out that somebody was
smoking, I thought I should have died. It was very bad just then.'
'Awful!' said Mrs Boncassen, shaking her head.
'I didn't seem to feel it much,' said the father. 'One doesn't
look to have everything just what one wants always. If I did I
should go nowhere;--but my total of life would be less enjoyable.
If ever you do get married, Bell, you should remember that.'
'I mean to get married some day, so that I shouldn't be made love
to any longer.
Pages:
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452