Showing that Old Acquaintances Are Capable of Surprising Us
WHEN Maggie was at home again, her mother brought her news of an ued line of du aunt Glegg. As long as Maggie had not been heard of, Mrs Glegg had half closed her shutters and drawn down her blinds: she felt assured that Maggie was drowhat was far more probable than that her nied legatee should have done anything to wound the family honour ie point. When, at last, she learned from Tom that Maggie had e home, and gathered from him what was her explanation of her absence, she burst forth in severe reproof of Tom for admitting the worst of his sister until he was pelled. If you were not to stand by your `kin as long as there was a shred of honour attributable to them, pray what were you to stand by? Lightly to admit du one of your own family that would force you to alter your will, had never been the way of the Dodsons; and though Mrs Glegg had always augured ill of Maggies future at a time when other people were perhaps less clear-sighted, yet fair play was a jewel, and it was not for her own friend to help to rob the girl of her fair fame, and to cast her out from family shelter to the s of the outer world, until she had bee unequivocally a family disgrace. The circumstances were unpreted in Mrs Gleggs experience - nothing of that kind had happened among the Dodsons before; but it was a case in which her hereditary rectitude and personal strength of character found a on el along with her fual ideas of ship, as they did in her lifelard to equity in money matters. She quarrelled with Mr Glegg, whose kindness, flowiirely into passion for Lucy made him as hard in his judgment of Maggie as Mr Deane himself was, and, fuming against her sister Tulliver because she did not at one to her for advid help, shut herself up in her own room with Baxters Saints Rest from m till night, denying herself to all visitors, till Mr Glegg brought from Mr Deahe news of Stepheer. Then Mrs Glegg felt that she had adequate fighting-ground - then she laid aside Baxter and was ready to meet all ers. While Mrs Pullet could do nothing but shake her head and cry, and wish that cousin Abbot had died or any number of funerals had happened rather than this, which had never happened before, so that there was no knowing how to act, and Mrs Pullet could never e Oggs again, because `acquaintances knew of it all, Mrs Glegg only hoped that Mrs Wooll or any one else would e to her with their false tales about her own niece, and she would know what to say to that ill-advised person. Again she had a se of remonstrah Tom, all the more severe, in proportion to the greater strength of her present position. But Tom, like other immovable things, seemed only the midly fixed uhat attempt to shake him. Poor Tom! he judged by what he had been able to see: and the judgment ainful enough to himself. He thought he had the demonstration of facts observed through years by his own eyes which gave n of their imperfe, that Maggies nature was utterly untrustworthy and toly marked with evil tendeo be safely treated with leniency: he would a that demonstration at any cost - but the thought of it made his days bitter to him. Tom, like every one of us, was imprisoned within the limits of his own nature, and his education had simply glided over him, a a slight deposit of polish. If you are ined to be severe on his severity, remember that the responsibility of tolerance lies with those who have the wider vision. There had arisen in Tom