The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

k with me to th

er had done her utmost to persuade me that I was capable of great achievements; but my father, who thought ambition was the surest road to ruin, and change but another word for destruction, would listen to no scheme for bettering either my own condition, or that of my fellow mortals. He assured me it was all rubbish, and exhorted me, with

kind at large:-hence I shall not have lived in vain.' With such reflections as these I was endeavouring to console myself, as I plodded home from the fields, one cold, damp, cloudy evening towards the close of October. But the gleam of a bright red fire through the parlour window had more effe

ir of shoes, and my rough surtout for a respectable coat, and made myself generally presentable be

eyes-than on the happy day you first beheld her. Nothing told me then that she, a few years hence, would be the wife of one entirely unknown to me as yet, but destined hereafter to become a closer friend than even herself, more intimate than that unmannerly lad of seventeen, by whom I was collared in the passage, on coming down

she had nothing else to do. She had swept the hearth, and made a bright blazing fire for our reception; the servant had just brought in the tea-tray; and Ros

ngers and glittering needles. 'Now shut the door, and come to the fire, while Rose gets the tea ready; I'm sure

f the last wheat stubble-for the ploughboy has not the sense to direct himself-and c

!-and Fergus, what h

er-ba

inced by the badger and the dogs; my mother pretending to listen with deep attention, and watching his a

Fergus,' said I, as soon as a momentary pause

e army; and I'm determined to do nothing else-except make myself such a nu

ed, and tried to look sulky, and then we all took our seats at

doing. I've been to call on the Wilsons; and it's a thousand piti

what

y that she's a nice, amusing little thing, when she is

has no such idea!' whispered my mot

bursting with it ever since. You know it was reported a month ago, that somebody was going to take W

e!' cried

us!!!' shri

ed!-and by a

my dear! The pla

abitable; and there she lives, all alo

rved Fergus, while carving his inch-thick slice of bread a

can hardly

he came from, and, all about her, but neither Mrs. Wilson, with her pertinacious and impertinent home-thrusts, nor Miss Wilson, with her skilful manoeuvring, could manage to elicit a single satisfactory answer, or even a casual remark, or chance expression calculated to allay their curiosity, or throw the faintest ray of light upon her history, circumstances, or connections. Moreover, she was barely civil to them, and evidently better pleased to say 'good-by,' than 'how do

. Poor thing! How l

puts in her tea, and what sort of caps and aprons she wears, and all about

when he had taken a mouthful of bread and butter and was about to swallow a gulp of tea, the humour of the thing burst upon him with such irresistible force, t

cuss the apparent or non-apparent circumstances, and probable or improbable history of the mysterious lady; but I must confess that, after my brother's misadvent

d, she flattered herself she had imparted some, and that was better: she had given some useful advice, which, she hoped, would not be thrown away; for Mrs. Graham, though she said little to any purpose, and appeared somewhat s

ints, mothe

ceipts, the value of which she evidently could not appreciate, for she begged I would not trouble myself, as she lived in such a plain, quiet way, that she was sure she should never make use of them. "No matter, my dear," said I; "it is what every respectable female ought to

me there to end her days in solitude, and mourn in

excessively pretty-handsome rather-you must see her, Gilbert; you will call her a perfect beau

more charming. I allow she has small claims to perfection; but then, I

er faults to other p

ing my mothe

the question,' said my mother, getting up, and bustling out of the room, under pretence of

d the very furniture of the room she inhabited, were all set before me, with rather more clearness and precision th

I confess I looked with some interest myself towards the old family pew, appertaining to Wildfell Hall, where the faded crimson cushions and lining had been

nd pale; her eyes I could not see, for, being bent upon her prayer-book, they were concealed by their drooping lids and long black lashes, but the brows above were expressive and well defined; the forehead was lofty and intellectual, the nose, a perfect aquiline and the features, in general, unexceptionable-only there was a slight

to withdraw my gaze, and she turned again to her book, but with a momentary,

ht I. 'Humph!-she shall change her mind

ced round the church to see if any one had been observing me;-but no,-all, who were not attending to their prayer-books, were attending to the strange lady,-my good mother and sister among the rest, and Mrs. Wilson and her daughter; and ev

the ribs, from the elbow of my pert brother. For the present, I could only resent the insul

o, in addition to her numerous other disqualifications, had not twenty pounds to call her own. Eliza's figure was at once slight and plump, her face small, and nearly as round as my sister's,-complexion, something similar to hers, but more delicate and less decidedly blooming,-nose, retroussé,-features, generally irregular; and, altogether, she was rather charming than pretty. But her eyes-I must not forget those remarkable features, for therein her chief attraction lay-in outwar

nursed their mother, through her last long, tedious illness, and been the housekeeper, and family drudge, from thence to the present time. She w

nd, and incased his still powerful limbs in knee-breeches and gaiters,-or black silk stockings on state occasions. He was a man of fixed principles, strong prejudices, and regular habits, in

r parents, we had to stand up before him, and say our catechism, or repeat, 'How doth the little busy bee,' or some other hymn, or-worse than all-be questioned about his last text, and the heads of the discourse, which we never could remember. Sometimes, the worthy gentleman would reprove my mother for being over-indulgent to her sons, with a

ticular about what he ate and drank, though by no means abstemious, and having a mode of dietary peculiar to himself,-being a great despiser of tea and such slops, and a patron of malt liquors, bacon and eggs, ham, hung beef, and other strong meats, which agreed well enough with his digestive organs, and therefore were maintained by

the widow of a substantial farmer, a narrow-minded, tattling old gossip, whose character is not worth describing. She had two sons, Robert, a rough countrified far

s. She was about six and twenty, rather tall and very slender, her hair was neither chestnut nor auburn, but a most decided bright, light red; her complexion was remarkably fair and brilliant, her head small, neck long, chin well turned, but very short, lips thin and red, eyes clear hazel, quick, and penetrating, but entirely destitute of poetry or feeling. She had, or might have had, many suitors in her own rank of life, but scornfully repulsed or rejected them all; for none bu

me so, and I'll send you the rest at my leisure: if you would rather remain my creditor than stuff your purse with s

immu

rt Ma