John Oliver Hobbes

“ As for her marrying, I have too much reason to regret my own early marriage—the cause of all my trouble—to wish the poor child to risk a similar mistake."
"You did not leave dear Douglas for a richer man!" said Mrs. Portcullis, in a tone which implied that if Blanche had made a more discreet choice, her sin would have been less odious.
"Perhaps not," said Blanche; "but I left a man who did not understand me for one who——You know, Charlotte, that Sidney could make himself very agreeable. There were many women who would have been far readier than I was to run away with him. ”

“ At least seven years younger than Sir Sidney, and of singularly youthful appearance, she affected an artless manner and displayed now that childish merriment not seen in children, and now that rudeness which passes for sincerity and is usually found in the disingenuous. A being with many emotions but no heart, with ideas but no thoughts, there was so little, even in her folly, to excite interest, that, in calling her stupid, friends said their best and enemies their worst of her character. ”

“ She is, if I remember rightly, eighteen and a half, and, not to hurt your feelings, she can only retrieve the lamentable circumstances of her birth by making a good marriage. Although we have not met, my dear Blanche, you have been ever in my mind, and the alteration in my appearance which you find so startling is, no doubt, miraculously evident to you because your disgrace has been its sole cause. ”

“ Lady Warcop, meanwhile, was pacing the floor of her boudoir. In her hand she held the photograph of a singularly plain little girl, who stood in a cork grotto [20] staring at a stuffed dog. This portrait of Teresa had been taken some ten years before, and Blanche had lacked the courage to send for another. And now, without warning, to be obliged to present this to the world! It was too hard, too bitter, too outrageous. Was ever woman called upon to suffer such mortification? As for motherly feelings, what were they? How could she love a creature she had never seen? ”

“ She says, too, that her hair is turning grey with silent worry. And you know, Waddilove, she is never silent, and she is no longer so young that a grey hair or two seems extraordinary. But there are quarrels between us from morning till night, and I cannot allow it. Life is not worth living. Why did she send for the girl if she did not want her? Where's the consistency? As I told Blanche this morning—'Blanche,' I said, as kindly as possible—I did not want a scene, as you may imagine—'Blanche,' I said, 'if you will tell me why you sent for Teresa, in the first place' But, God bless your soul! ”

“ I name it because I think my long years of grief give me the right to express a very strong opinion on the subject of your unhappy child's education and future. Your own sense will tell you that she must be guarded far more strictly than other girls. For instance, she must not be seen at balls, theatres, race-courses, country houses, or the like, but must rest content with dinners, oratorios [15] , and good works for the poor."
"You are too kind," said Lady Warcop, who had listened with astonishing patience to her sister's speech, "but I do not wish Teresa to leave the convent at present. ”

“ See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brougham_ (carriage) ↑ A spiteful woman. See https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cat↑ This makes reference to the Becket Controversy. This was a quarrel between Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and King Henry II of England. The two fundamentally disagreed about whether the monarchy or the church should hold judicial powers over the clergy. Becket also no longer aided the king in defending royal interests in the church, but instead began to champion ecclesiastical rights. ”

“ Notes ↑ Cask is a barrel-like receptacle for liquids.↑ This term refers to an ability to consume large quantities of alcohol↑ Rake is a shortened version of 'rakehell', a term used to refer to a somewhat wild man who has the tendency to indulge in immoral behaviour.↑ Zealot or Zealotry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zealotry↑ Myrhh here is used to mean perfume.↑ Otherwise known as a carriage, this refers to a particular carriage. ”