Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

OR,

FEMALE DOMINATION.

BY THE

AUTHORESS OF

"MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS."

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

LONDON:

HENRY COLBURN,

13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

1836.

[blocks in formation]

FEMALE DOMINATION.

CHAPTER I.

Such a nature,

Tickled with good success, disdains the shadow

Which she treads on at noon.

SHAKSPEARE.

66

THE post is late this morning!" said Mrs. Armytage, having finished her second cup of tea, and pushed away a plate disordered with chippings of egg-shell and French roll; while her daughter Sophy, to whom the apostrophe was addressed, aware that her mother measured the proceedings of the world, and the progress of time, by a dial peculiarly her own, did not venture to observe that, as they had sat down to breakfast half an hour earlier

VOL. I.

B

than usual, the newspaper could scarcely arrive in time for its usual office of concluding the ceremonial of the morning meal.

Another moment, and her forbearance was rewarded. Old Simmons, the butler, on making his appearance to remove the urn, placed upon the table, in addition to the two daily papers, two letters from the post-bag; one for his lady, and another, a double one, for Miss Sophia. A double letter, and in her brother Arthur's hand-writing! What rich repayment for having forborne to tax her mother with being unreasonable!

Mrs. Armytage, of Holywell Park, was one of those parents who, while affecting to encourage in their family all possible freedom of thought and action, exercise over their children the utmost rigour of petty despotism. Deluding herself into a belief that she was the most liberal of mothers, she had been heard to thank heaven, and the late Mr. Armytage, for having left her son and daugh

ter independent of her, so that no mutual restraint could exist between them; although it was well known that this independence consisted in a provision of a few hundreds a year for each; while she, in her own right as an heiress, enjoyed an estate of thrice as many thousands! Even while pretending to sanction the most affectionate mutual confidence between Sophy and her brother, it was remarkable how minutely she contrived to inform herself of all that was said or written between them. Mrs. Armytage was, in short, a woman of arbitrary temper; whose disposition had been cultivated into all the ungraciousness of egotism by the indulgence of an inert and adoring husband.

"What does Arthur say?"-She inquired of her daughter, as soon as Sophy reached the second page of her correspondence.

"Nothing particular, mamma!" replied the young lady, with a deep blush, folding up the letter, though manifestly half unread; and

« AnteriorContinuar »