A Voice from t
ONE afternoon s o flo door and ed t t seem to be enjoying ting porc and to be searc disclosed by t er a visit of akems rifling fault en ten a lasting terror in Maggies mind. t some time or ot beat o speak in t. t of all dread o misfortune tcrievably disgraceful. ttered scoms ude under t dread, and again and again ears, as tnut trees nor tant only future scenes of e and of footsteps on t tom a man in a sealskin cap and a blue pluscoat, carrying a pack on errier of brindled coat and defiant aspect.
`O Bob, its you! said Maggie, starting up ion, for ts to efface tion of Bobs generosity. `Im so glad to see you.
`ting ed face, but immediately relieving by looking do one of disgust, `Get out hunderin sawney!
`My brot at , Bob, said Maggie, ` St Oggs in time.
`ell, Miss, said Bob, `I so see Mr tom - but t isnt just w Im come for - look here!
Bob of depositing ep, and a roened togetring. Apparently, t to tention, but rathing which he had carried under his arm, wrapped in a red handkerchief.
`See , `you too free, Miss, I I lig t make up to you a bit for t; for I urs - an as for picturs, look here!
ted `Keepsake and six or seven numbers of a `Portrait Gallery, in royal octavo; and tic request to look referred to a portrait of George ty of h.
`ts o genelmen on, turning over tement, `s o noses - an some bald an some genelmen, I reckon. An o cry - look tin on t o door dressed like t out ot t tin em! I sot up till t nig em - I did - till tared at me out o turs as if to em. But, lors! I s knoo say to em. ttin company for you, Miss, and t tall, urs - -rate article.
`And youve bougouc Im afraid you gave a great deal of money for them.
`Not me! said Bob. `Id imes to you a bit for t ted about ts stuck by me as if it ur all, of it life yourn akin ty, Miss - I t Id make free to buy it for you, an t to matcook up tringed packet of books - `I t you mig more print as urs, an I got t, an I t ttermost books. An I say me nay, an tell me as you om did he suvreigns.
`No, indeed, Bob, said Maggie, `Im very to you for to me and tom. I dont t many friends who care for me.
`ter friends nor any Cian, said Bob, laying doention of considerable salking to a young lass like Maggie, tongue overrun o speak. `I cant give you Mumps, cause to go ao express ive movement of ail.) `But Id get you a pup, Miss, an welcome.
`No, t keep a dog of my own.
`Es a pity: else t mind about it not bein ts mots in tc into talk from breakfast to sundos, a poor lorade as any on t;obys noug a mongrel - t to look at in ; But I says to ; are you yoursen but a mongrel? t muco look at you.quot; Not but o breed myself, but I cant abide to see one cur grinnin at anotly taking up ongue ing in an undisciplined manner.
`ont you come in time, and see my brother, Bob? said Maggie.
`Yes, Miss, time. Youll give my duty to om is; ook to gro.
tick having somehow gone wrong.
`You dont call Mumps a cur, I suppose, said Maggie, divining t any interest sifying to er.
`No, Miss, a fine , said Bob, ying smile, `Mumps is as fine a cross as youll see anyimes enoo. ry stops to look at you catc try much - he minds his own business - he does.
to be tolerating tence of objects in general, rongly confirmatory of this high praise.
` me pat him?
`Ay, t alk to oget o miscell no secrets but humb, he does.
`Your big ts t Bob? said Maggie.
`ts is, Miss, said Bob, quickly, exing a singularly broad specimen of t difference bet tells i measuring out ts ligs dear stuff, you see, so a big tells. I clap my t t o t, and t up tot.
`But, Bob, said Maggie, looking serious, `ts cing: I dont like to .
`Dont you, Miss? said Bob, regretfully. `t. But Im so used to talking to Mumps, an mind a bit o cing, t my dinner out ont. I niver c anybody as doesnt to c me, Miss - lors, Im a c o sport, an no go s, In got no varmint to come over but them haggling women. I wish you good evening, Miss.
`Goodby, Bob. to see tom.
`Yes, Miss, said Bob, moving on a feeps; turning trick t, Miss - but it ud be a pity, it find anotrick so good - an might as well ha been narrer.
Maggie, ted into Bobs directing Madonna, lauge of oo, and under touched his cap and walked away.
t gone, notanding Burkes grand dirge over till in t far-off ouctle finger or tful an adoration for t in armour calling aloud on o t.
t gleam of merriment soon died arast. Soo dispirited even to like ansions about Bobs present of books, and so ing ool, caring to look at t yet. S t t t-ed Bob muchan hers.
Maggies sense of loneliness and utter privation of joy ness of advancing spring. All te outdoor nooks about o s in nurturing and c mixed up ion, every deligo ringed instruments e cries of imprisoned spirits sending a strange vibration t tle collection of scurned over s. Even at scen ely. And no t cion - télémaque ions on Cian doctrine: trengtimes Maggie t sented ts novels and all Byrons poems! - t o dull y to ual daily life. And yet... t sed. S no dream-isfy ed some explanation of ted at t-table; ttle sordid tasks t filled tiness of ender, demonstrative love; t tom didnt mind , and t togetion of all pleasant t o o oted some key t and and, in understanding, endure, t t . If saug men knes and martyrs erested Maggie so mucs. Stle of saints and martyrs, and of eac temporary provision against t Smithfield.
In one of tations, it occurred to ston toms sc runk. But sock unaccountably so tin Dictionary and Grammar, a Delectus, a torn Eutropius, ting Euclid. Still, Latin, Euclid and Logic ep in masculine knoed and even glad to live. Not t tual e unmixed: a certain mirage of ture, in ainments. And so ttery, began to nibble at t of tree of knory, and triump anding e equal to tudies. For a ely enoug, as if s out to a ty, trackless, uncertain journey. In ty of ion sake Aldric into too ter-foled out on - artled sense t tion bete for deepened as t on, and t gained faster and faster on tient mind. Some at tdoor sunsears, and sometimes, if in tudies s loneliness, and fits even of anger and red tooom, ing difference - over ions and conscience like a lava stream and frig it difficult for o become a demon. t from o some great man - alter Scott, perell c in ter t s still, noticing o fetcurning and forsaking it.
ternoon, t of Bobs cent a neion. S it of t ts to feel, t so endure t sometever it est and best on tisfied ignorance, or like tom, tigig beating trouble as if s day, able struggles - of ed sreasures of t, oil cerature and false ory - ile information about Saxon and otful example, but une t kno s, becomes morality, and, developing trouble as if every otc forgetful of time wrong.
At last Maggies eyes glanced do lay on to turn over listlessly trait Gallery, but so examine ttle roied togetring. `Beauties of tator, `Rasselas, `Economy of ters - s of matter t ian Year - t seemed to be a do t tisfaction, o attaco a name t strays solitary in took up ttle, old, clumsy book y: it urned doain passages strong pen and ink marks, long since broime. Maggie turned from leaf to leaf and read t t t, and be o enjoy t never be quiet nor free from care: for in everyt ing, and in every place t turn t find ty t ience, if t ing croo mount unto t, t set out courageously, and lay to t; t t pluck up and destroy t e inclination to to all private and eart a man inordinately lovet all dependetsoever is to be overcome; peace and tranquillity... It is but little t in comparison of t rongly tempted, so grievously afflicted, so many ried and exercised. test to call to mind t t ttle adversities. And if t little unto t tience be t receive ten not to t unto t unto truteach inwardly...
A strange t by a strain of solemn music, telling of beings o anot o point, so listen while a low voice said,
` t, since t t? In to be to be looked on as toget unto t tangled and perisance, yet it is as not penances, yet are t little. And if tain to all knoue, and very fervent devotion, yet is ting; to , one t necessary for is t? t all, of ain noten said unto t enjoy mucions, evil perturbations, and superfluous cares fly ae fear leave te love shall die.
Maggie dreo see a sudden vision more clearly. of life t s - to be reac t, and strengt, to be irely eacing to be flasion of a problem, t all t on ral necessity of t time sy of sing tion from ification of aking and out of part of a divinely guided ern of sorrorengturning to it after sill t do could never rest in t, s in tire devotedness, and in t discovery, renunciation seemed to rance into t satisfaction rutpourings, t renunciation remains sorroill panting for asy because so it. Srines and systems - of mysticism or quietism: but t of t communication of a o Maggie as an unquestioned message.
I suppose t is t a book-stall, o turning bitter ers into sness; ises ne ten doed for ts prompting, it is tary, ruggle, trust and triump ten on velvet cuso teaco treading on tones. And so it remains to all time, a lasting record of ions, t and suffered and renounced - in ter, peronsured ing and long fasts, and from ours - but under t far-off e desires, trivings, the same weariness.
In ing tory of unfas to fall into a tone of empone of good society, remely moderate kind, but are als being eligible but sucouc and graceful irony. But ty s claret and its velvet carpets, its dinner-engagements six s opera and its fa?ry ballrooms; rides of its ennui on t to keep clear of crinoline vortices, gets is science done by Faraday, and its religion by to be met in t ime or need for belief and emp good society, floated on gossamer ional life condensed in unfragrant deafening factories, cramping itself in mines, sing at furnaces, grinding, tered in lonely s on tional life is based entirely on emp, o all tivities necessary for tenance of good society and lig spends its en in a ced fas family discord unsoftened by long corridors. Under sucances ts myriads of souls ion even to unspeculative minds; just as you inquire into tuffing of your couc Frence no question. Some ic belief in alcoasis or outside standing-ground in gin, but t require somet good society calls ent motives in an entire absence of ience and feed lies outside personal desires, t includes resignation for ourselves and active love for ourselves. No sort of ent comes from an experience springing out of t need. And it ed sorro and a a fait tablisies and appointed guides - for t at you kno sion and uosity even into ion: ill a drama for sensity. And so it came to pass t sen lost t of y by being excessive in t; sen strove after too and came dotle only determined to plain se s contribute sometoin box, but s in t instance in ification to ask for it at a linen-s Oggs, instead of getting it in a more quiet and indirect irely ing, in toms reproof of . `I dont like my sister to do sucom, `Ill take care t ts are paid, your lo enderness and bravery mingled ion of t little speec Maggie as dross, overlooking took toms rebuke as one of om -co rove to be contented o require not is t out on our abandonment of egoism - tyrdom and endurance, allohered and worn.
t of tree of knoo ss of t ardour, s of triump s s. Santly in ian Year (no longer rejected as a ` tinual stream of roo ardently learning to see all nature and life in t of o need any oterial for o s and oted stitco Maggie, since band and sleeve and ty of being ses of mental wandering.
ly over any one migo look at. t neanding some volcanic up s in ender soft lig mingled itself as added loveliness line of t of puzzled Maggie s trairy co assert o look up from cing for t some needful . tting fond of all, bro of furniture noe of ic o give o to black locks plaited into a coronet on t of er tiable fasiquated times.
`Let your mot bit o pleasure, my dear, said Mrs tulliver, `Id trouble enough your hair once.
So Maggie, glad of anyt ogeted to tion, and seadily refusing, o look at ulliver liked to call ttention to Maggies ed virtues, but o give.
`I kneo me. But its a pity s made o commoner stuff - s: to marry for her.
And Maggies graces of mind and body fed patiently enouger, or said sometimidly trouble being turned into a blessing. ook it all as part of ers goodness, o isfied vindictiveness, tulliver did not spiritual consolation - ed to sion of debt and to have his revenge.