Abbeychurch eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 274 pages of information about Abbeychurch.

Abbeychurch eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 274 pages of information about Abbeychurch.

‘And her daughters?’ said Anne, ‘I never heard you mention them.’

’Lucy is a nice quiet girl, and a great ally of Helen’s, unless she has cast her off for her new friends at Dykelands,’ said Elizabeth; ’she is rather creep-mouse, but has no other fault that I know of.  She is like her father’s family, something like Mamma.  But as for Harriet, the eldest, and her mother’s darling, you will soon be sensible of some of her charms.  I only hope she will not teaze the children into naughtiness, as she did last year.  I do not know what would be done if Horace was at home.  One day he had a regular battle with her.  It began of course in fun on both sides, but he soon grew angry, and at last tore her frock and trod pretty hard on her foot.  I could not be sorry for her, she deserved it so completely; but then poor Horace had to be punished.  And another time, she shut Dora up in a dark room, and really it did the poor little girl a great deal of harm; she could not sleep quietly for three nights after.  Dora is old enough to take care of herself now; and Edward is quieter than Horace, which is a great comfort; but, oh!  I wish the Hazlebys were forty miles off!’

‘Now, Lizzie,’ said Anne, ’is it not a very strange thing to hear you talk in this manner?—­you, the most good-natured person in the world!’

‘Thank you,’ said Elizabeth; ’that is as much as to say that I am the greatest goose in the world.’

‘And you had rather be a goose than ill-natured,’ said Anne.

‘It does not follow that I should be a goose for want of ill-nature,’ said Elizabeth.

‘But you say that to be good-natured is to be a goose,’ said Anne.

’Yes; but good-nature is too poor a thing to be the reverse of ill-nature,’ said Elizabeth, ‘it is only a negative quality.’

’I thought good-natured people were those who never used the negative,’ said Anne, laughing.

‘Do not pun in the middle of a serious argument, Miss Anne,’ said Elizabeth, putting on a solemn face.

‘Well, I will be quite as grave as the occasion requires,’ said Anne.  ’I believe I ought to have used the word kindness, as that is as active in good as ill-nature in evil.  But pray, Lizzie, do not let us get into any of these abstruse metaphysical discussions, or we shall arrive at conclusions as wise as when we reasoned ourselves into saying, nine years ago, that it was better to be naughty than good, because good people in books were always stupid.’

‘Idle as we were,’ said Elizabeth, smiling, ’I do not think that we ever intended to act on that maxim.  But really, Anne, I do believe that if you had been a prim pattern of perfection, a real good little girl, a true Miss Jenny Meek, who never put her foot in a puddle, never tore her frock, never spoke above her breath, and never laughed louder than a sucking dove, I should never have cared two straws for you.’

’I think little Dora might convince you that goodness and stupidity need not always be united,’ said Anne, after a short pause.

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Abbeychurch from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.