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More Pages from a Journal By: Mark Rutherford (1831-1913) |
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Contents: A Bad Dream
Esther
Kate Radcliffe
Mr. Whittaker's Retirement
Confessions of a Self tormentor
A letter to the 'Rambler'
A letter from the Authoress of 'Judith Crowhurst'
Clearing up after a storm in January
The end of the North Wind
Romney Marsh
Axmouth
The Preacher and the Sea
Conversion
July
A Sunday morning in November
Under Beachy Head: December
24th December
Dreaming
Ourselves
The Riddle
An Epoch
Belief
Extracts from a diary on the Quantocks
Godwin and Wordsworth
Notes
Shakespeare A BAD DREAM Miss Toller, a lady about forty years old, kept a boarding house,
called Russell House, at Brighton, in a dull but genteel part of the
town so dull that even those fortunate inhabitants who were reputed
to have resources in themselves were relieved by a walk to the shops
or by a German band. Miss Toller could not afford to be nearer the
front. Rents were too high for her, even in the next street, which
claimed a sea view sideways through the bow windows. She was the
daughter of a farmer in Northamptonshire, and till she came to
Brighton had lived at home. When she was five and twenty her mother
died, and in two years her father married again. The second wife
was a widow, good looking but hard, and had a temper. She made
herself very disagreeable to Miss Toller, and the husband took the
wife's part. Miss Toller therefore left the farm at Barton Sluice,
and with a little money that belonged to her purchased the goodwill
and furniture of Russell House. She brought with her a
Northamptonshire girl as servant, and the two shared the work
between them. At the time when this history begins she had five
lodgers, all of whom had been with her six months, and one for more
than a year. Mrs. Poulter, the senior in residence of the five, was the widow of
a retired paymaster in the Navy. She was between fifty and sixty, a
big, portly woman. After her husband was pensioned she lived in
Southsea. As he belonged to the civilian branch, Mrs. Poulter had
to fight undauntedly in order to maintain a calling acquaintance
with the wives of executive officers, and in fact the highest she
had on her list was a commander's lady. When Paymaster Poulter
died, and his pension ceased, she gave up the struggle. She had no
children, and moved to Brighton with an annuity of 150 pounds a year
derived from her husband's insurance of 2000 pounds, and a life
interest in some property left by her mother. Mr. Goacher was a bachelor clergyman of about forty. He read
prayers, presided over the book club, and by a judicious expenditure
of oil prevented friction between the other boarders. It was
understood that he had been compelled to give up clerical duty by
what is called clergyman's sore throat. It was not known whether he
had been vicar, rector, or curate, but he wore the usual white neck
band and a soft, low felt hat, he was clean shaven, his letters were
addressed 'Reverend,' he was not bad looking; and these vouchers
were considered sufficient. Mrs. Mudge was the widow of a tradesman in London. She was better
off than any of the other lodgers, and drank claret at twenty
shillings a dozen. Miss Everard, the youngest of the party, was a French mistress, but
English by birth, and gave lessons in two or three schools. She was
never at home on weekdays excepting at breakfast and dinner. After
dinner she generally corrected exercises in her bedroom, but when
she was not busy she sat in the drawing room to save fire and light. Miss Taggart was the daughter of a country doctor. Both her parents
were dead, and she was poor. She had a reputation for being
enlightened, as she was not regular in her attendance at public
worship on Sunday, and did not always go to the same church. She
told Mrs. Poulter once that science should tincture theology,
whereupon, appeal being made to Mr. Goacher by that alarmed lady, he
ventured to remark, that with all respect to Miss Taggart, such
observations were perhaps liable to misconstruction in ordinary
society, where they could not be fully explained, and, although she
was doubtless right in a way, the statement needed qualification... Continue reading book >>
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