Mr and Mrs Glegg at home
IN order to see Mr and Mrs Glegg at enter to Oggs - t venerable toed roofs and ts, t fleeces, ed classic pastorals. It is one of toion and outgroe ants: a tos long groree, and betime from t tness of t is a toten years. till fully, revieime, and is met by tabbed in t of umn evenings like a from umulus on t of t o build t fine old oelling of ts and ions; but it is all so old t its inconsistencies, and are ent t t tone oriel and t to small brick-refoil ornament, and ttlements defined one, did not sacrilegiously pull do imbered body s oak-roofed banqueting-hall.
But older even t of into to be a remnant of ted to St Ogg, tron saint of t to versions. I incline to t, since if it s be is at least likely to contain t falsee man came to pass one evening moaning by to be ro questioned to cross tarry till take ser : so s t foolisill s on to mourn and crave. But Ogg t is enoug t needs it. And came to pass o robes of floy and t so t s on ter like ts brig blessed, in t t not question and s need but smitten y and didst straigeps into t sorm, and s forto t ss. And . But self from its moorings and ed ide in great sness to t it nessed in ter-time, t at t upon ters, and t in t around as of ts brig took and pulled anew.
ts from a far-off time tation of t oucal to ttle, and s as sudden deat toroubles even troubles of t inual fig puritans ts and ts tans. Many citizens lost all times and fortive toless tanding noizens turned t gabled ed by surprising passages, urn at sill t on a muddy strand overfloinually by tide. Everye-glass in succo facing, or ottempt to make fine old red St Oggs o sprang up yesterday. tending, for ters days, to be radesmen ended for customers ed from us by c from t of by farmers in drab greatcoats in the
full market-place, it ate of t belonged to a past golden age er - making grist for t vertical millstones s, and terious fluctuations of trade o fear: even t been great of late years. t Oggs did not look extensively before or after. It ined a long past t, and s t reets. Since turies and t ter, so many memories beops! And t time o-morroerday and t forces t used to so sleep. tly and property, and burn men alive; not because any sane and paris Oggs could be brougo believe in titude tle-market, but for a long ed of preac t of fervour in dissenting pulpits on t of infant baptism om of a zeal unsuited to sober times antism sat at ease, unmindful of scism: dissent ion, and Cemptuously at Dissent as a foolis t clung greatly to families in t incompatible ion roversy to break tor orical and argumentative, and Mr Spray t minister o preacical sermons in y bet of to t belief in ternal perdition. But most of Mr Sprays leties, and many old-fasers er let politics alone. Public spirit eem at St Oggs, and men ions ers: ttle or no business of to manage, or, if to become insolvent.
t of t St Oggs in Mrs Gleggs day and at t particular period in ory ime present, and y, being obliged to dress itself in an elaborate costume of knoime of asking tients if t simply took it for granted t time on bone to secure t cramp. Mrs Glegg carried suced from and up empty, like a suit of armour, and a silver-ick; for table for many generations.
Mrs Glegg and a back parlour in St Oggs, so t ss of vierengt on Road leading out of St Oggs and note tendency to `gadding about in t retired from business, togetice of ton stockings, ion; and from garden and orcretco time among `tables. For Mr Glegg ired from active business as a apler for t of occupation so muc o amateur ion, and ually relaxed by doing t pero t e respect for a it is to tion of to ties of a ituted cional or commendable kind.
Mr Glegg on oo, al occupation, ural ory, finding t ained erpillars, slugs and insects, ed ion, and iced remarkable coincidences bet events of t time, as, for example, t before ter terious serpentine marks on trees togeto knoil it flasion. (Mr Glegg of mental activity self a pations.) And of meditation rairiness of typically exed in Mrs Glegg. t a creature made - in a genealogical sense - out of a mans rib, and in ticular case maintained in t respectability any trouble of ate of contradiction to t propositions and even to t accommodating concessions, ery in to , and being ting, money-keeping turn, ed on muc in t curious compound ter, it may easily t in spite of excellent ingredients; and a fine systematic stinginess may be accompanied quite spoils its relisingy in t amiable manner: tion is a lovable skinflint. If you expressed a preference for co save tured deligifying your palate, and o pet all animals rue feeling over ture, a donation of five pounds to a person `in a small self to ribution of small aids, not a neutralising of misfortune. And Mr Glegg as fond of saving oto avoid a turnpike of , and was
quite zealous in trying to induce indifferent acquaintances to adopt a citute for blacking. t of saving, as an end in itself, belonged to trious men of business of a former generation, as tracking of to t constituted t in tting, tle miserliness as a condition, and you y in every provincial district combined ers as various as ts from acid. true ional cers: not so taxpayers ained even in t of table retirement, and of regarding life as an ingenious process of nibbling out ones liveli leaving any perceptible deficit, and ed to give up a neaxed luxury icable by cter able to understand ion t e of too pungent seasoning t nature o t Miss Dodsons virtues. A man ionate disposition, al idea of life, easily comes to persuade no oted tle daily snapping and quarrelling any sense of alienation. Mr Glegg, being of a reflective turn, and no longer occupied ation on titution of to ic life: and yet Mrs Gleggs struck iable irregularity in ot roll up table-napkins igry ence, and tion of grocery and drug-like odours in Mrs Gleggs private cupboard impressed t sure t ire is certain t an acquiescent mild ions comparatively jejune and barren of mystery.
Mr Gleggs unmistakable kind-edness pained o see variance - to be in a state of cavil quite nullified tate of t morning. Still in to breakfast no, be subdued enougo give o rong sense of family decorum. So boast t t no Dodson off money out at use, or some t.
t at t-table: it ers in t o put on anyto try as a fuzzy curled front. By ten decorum demanded t: until t and society t cloud only left it more apparent t ty remained; and Mr Glegg, perceiving t doo o stem ly resolved to leave t remark to Mrs Glegg, lest, to so delicate an article as a ladys temper, test touco enjoy temper in fine condition by inflicting privations on t ter. It y s meet o exercise itself. But by and by it appeared t rop last in t tone peculiar to the wife of ones bosom.
`ell, Mr Glegg! its a poor return I get for making you to be treated, Id better before my poor fated a he choice was offered me.
Mr Glegg paused from but simply quiet, ual ant mysteries.
` have I done now?
`Done now, Mr Glegg? done now?... Im sorry for you.
Not seeing inent ansed to his porridge.
`tinued Mrs Glegg after a pause, `as ud o do somet to siding teacter - but Ive allays s to stand by tead o rejoicing and triump her.
`No? said Mr Glegg, rat as meek as Moses. `riumph over you?
`t plain, Mr Glegg. Id sooner youd tell me to my face as you make ligry to make out as everybodys in t but me, and come to your breakfast in t an , and sulk at me as if I under your feet.
`Sulk at you? said Mr Glegg, in a tone of angry facetiousness. `Youre like a tipsy man as too muc himself.
`Dont loo me, Mr Glegg! It makes you look very small, t see yourself, said Mrs Glegg in a tone of energetic compassion. `A man in your place s an example, and talk more sensible.
`Yes; but en to sense? retorted Mr Glegg, s sense I can talk to you is nigo ts safe enoug it alone, all because of a bit of a tiff, and I if youd like to call it in, dont do it in a y in t till tty mortgage to be any trouble. Youd o set to o find an investment, and make no end o expense.
Mrs Glegg felt t sossed ted a guttural interjection to indicate t ice, not a peace. And, in fact, ilities soon broke out again.
`Ill tea no s proceed to give it ed teapot toss of the head, and said,
`Im glad to s little t for to stand up if I but ed myself civil to your kin, and t one of em can say trary, t, and nobody s.
`Youd better leave finding fault ill youve left off quarrelling rouble you for the milk-jug.
`ts as false a to say, if ed milk, s false. Im not to quarrel .
` did you call it yesterday, ters antrum?
`Id no quarrel er, Mr Glegg, and its false to say it. Mr tullivers none o my blood, and it peray and be s, Mr Glegg; per to upo your o let me tell you, its your disgrace.
`Did ever anybody ting . `A o keep tled on uffed and lined at no end o expense, and provided for o go on i ting and snapping like a mad dog! Its beyond everyty s tered in a tone of sorroation: Mr Glegg pusea from apped table h his hands.)
`ell, Mr Glegg! if ts best taking off in an excited manner. `But if you talk o my being provided for beyond , I beg leave to tell you as Id a rigo except a many t find. And as to my being like a mad dog, its cried sy for your treatment of me, for its bear, and I bear...
imated t so cry, and breaking off from speecly.
`Sally, s a fire upstairs, and put to order w youd like for dinner. I shall have gruel.
Mrs Glegg o took doers `Saints Everlasting Rest omed to lay open before Sunday mornings - or ave han usual.
But Mrs Glegg carried sometairs ogets Rest and t possible for o endure existence on tly before tea-time. tly Mr Gleggs suggestion t so let ill until a good investment turned up, and, furtic at amp, remely reticent about s, , like ot c of ening s and if estamentary tenderness, it ing to t tuff, and ence on t of snails, ouc an end. to survive Mr Glegg and talk eulogistically of anding ions - to erest coming in more frequently and secrete it in various corners baffling to t ingenious of to Mrs Gleggs mind, banks and strong boxes o by o be erite and present dignity comprised in being a `, - all ttering and conciliatory vieure. So t o good- of y cting rolled up in t upstairs to tolling for poor Mr Morton, Mrs Glegg anse as if so take to.
Baxter least eigime, for it o quarrel often, it follo t be protracted beyond certain limits.
Mr and Mrs Glegg talked quite amicably about tullivers t evening: Mr Glegg tting t tulliver ting into er, and y; and Mrs Glegg, meeting t it o take notice of suc, and t for ers sake, s it out on a mortgage s four per cent.