Cranford | Page 8

time as her sister, who was so much more
capable than she to describe the honour done to Cranford; but in spite
of a little bad spelling, Miss Matty's account gave me the best idea of
the commotion occasioned by his lordship's visit, after it had occurred;
for, except the people at the Angel, the Browns, Mrs Jamieson, and a
little lad his lordship had sworn at for driving a dirty hoop against the
aristocratic legs, I could not hear of any one with whom his lordship
had held conversation.
My next visit to Cranford was in the summer. There had been neither
births, deaths, nor marriages since I was there last. Everybody lived in
the same house, and wore pretty nearly the same well-preserved,
old-fashioned clothes. The greatest event was, that Miss Jenkyns had
purchased a new carpet for the drawing-room. Oh, the busy work Miss
Matty and I had in chasing the sunbeams, as they fell in an afternoon
right down on this carpet through the blindless window! We spread
newspapers over the places and sat down to our book or our work; and,
lo! in a quarter of an hour the sun had moved, and was blazing away on
a fresh spot; and down again we went on our knees to alter the position
of the newspapers. We were very busy, too, one whole morning, before
Miss Jenkyns gave her party, in following her directions, and in cutting
out and stitching together pieces of newspaper so as to form little paths
to every chair set for the expected visitors, lest their shoes might dirty
or defile the purity of the carpet. Do you make paper paths for every
guest to walk upon in London?
Captain Brown and Miss Jenkyns were not very cordial to each other.
The literary dispute, of which I had seen the beginning, was a "raw,"
the slightest touch on which made them wince. It was the only
difference of opinion they had ever had; but that difference was enough.
Miss Jenkyns could not refrain from talking at Captain Brown; and,
though he did not reply, he drummed with his fingers, which action she
felt and resented as very disparaging to Dr Johnson. He was rather
ostentatious in his preference of the writings of Mr Boz; would walk
through the streets so absorbed in them that he all but ran against Miss
Jenkyns; and though his apologies were earnest and sincere, and though
he did not, in fact, do more than startle her and himself, she owned to
me she had rather he had knocked her down, if he had only been

reading a higher style of literature. The poor, brave Captain! he looked
older, and more worn, and his clothes were very threadbare. But he
seemed as bright and cheerful as ever, unless he was asked about his
daughter's health.
"She suffers a great deal, and she must suffer more: we do what we can
to alleviate her pain;--God's will be done!" He took off his hat at these
last words. I found, from Miss Matty, that everything had been done, in
fact. A medical man, of high repute in that country neighbourhood, had
been sent for, and every injunction he had given was attended to,
regardless of expense. Miss Matty was sure they denied themselves
many things in order to make the invalid comfortable; but they never
spoke about it; and as for Miss Jessie!--"I really think she's an angel,"
said poor Miss Matty, quite overcome. "To see her way of bearing with
Miss Brown's crossness, and the bright face she puts on after she's been
sitting up a whole night and scolded above half of it, is quite beautiful.
Yet she looks as neat and as ready to welcome the Captain at
breakfast-time as if she had been asleep in the Queen's bed all night.
My dear! you could never laugh at her prim little curls or her pink bows
again if you saw her as I have done." I could only feel very penitent,
and greet Miss Jessie with double respect when I met her next. She
looked faded and pinched; and her lips began to quiver, as if she was
very weak, when she spoke of her sister. But she brightened, and sent
back the tears that were glittering in her pretty eyes, as she said -
"But, to be sure, what a town Cranford is for kindness! I don't suppose
any one has a better dinner than usual cooked but the best part of all
comes in a little covered basin for my sister. The poor people will leave
their earliest vegetables at our door for her. They speak short and gruff,
as if they were ashamed of it: but I am sure it often goes to my heart