“ Well, if I can't be happy, I can be useful, perhaps. ”
Louisa May Alcott, An Old-Fashioned Girl (1869). copy citation
| Author | Louisa May Alcott |
|---|---|
| Source | An Old-Fashioned Girl |
| Topic | happiness usefulness |
| Date | 1869 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2787/2787-h/2787-h.htm |
Context
“«Sit down, my dear, I'm glad to see you, but excuse me if I go on with my work, as I'm in a driving hurry to get these things done to-night,» said the brisk little lady, with a smile and a nod, as she took a new needleful of thread, and ran up a seam as if for a wager.
«Let me help you, then; I'm lazy and cross, and it will do me good,» said Polly, sitting down with the resigned feeling. «Well, if I can't be happy, I can be useful, perhaps.»
«Thank you, my dear; yes, you can just hem the skirt while I put in the sleeves, and that will be a great lift.»
Polly put on her thimble in silence, but as Miss Mills spread the white flannel over her lap, she exclaimed, «Why, it looks like a shroud!” source
«Let me help you, then; I'm lazy and cross, and it will do me good,» said Polly, sitting down with the resigned feeling. «Well, if I can't be happy, I can be useful, perhaps.»
«Thank you, my dear; yes, you can just hem the skirt while I put in the sleeves, and that will be a great lift.»
Polly put on her thimble in silence, but as Miss Mills spread the white flannel over her lap, she exclaimed, «Why, it looks like a shroud!” source
Meaning and analysis
