- end_line
- 8771
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:52.921Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 8684
- text
- "It is the hour of woe to thee; and I confess my cloth hath no
consolation for thee yet awhile. Permit me to withdraw from thee,
leaving my best prayers for thee, that thou mayst know some peace, ere
this now shut-out sun goes down. Send for me whenever thou desirest
me.--May I go now?"
"Begone! and let me not hear thy soft, mincing voice, which is an infamy
to a man! Begone, thou helpless, and unhelping one!"
She swiftly paced the room again, swiftly muttering to herself. "Now,
now, now, now I see it clearer, clearer--clear now as day! My first dim
suspicions pointed right!--too right! Ay--the sewing! it was the
sewing!--The shriek!--I saw him gazing rooted at her. He would not speak
going home with me. I charged him with his silence; he put me off with
lies, lies, lies! Ay, ay, he is married to her, to her;--to
her!--perhaps was then. And yet,--and yet,--how can it be?--Lucy,
Lucy--I saw him, after that, look on her as if he would be glad to die
for her, and go to hell for her, whither he deserves to go!--Oh! oh! oh!
Thus ruthlessly to cut off, at one gross sensual dash, the fair
succession of an honorable race! Mixing the choicest wine with filthy
water from the plebeian pool, and so turning all to undistinguishable
rankness!--Oh viper! had I thee now in me, I would be a suicide and a
murderer with one blow!"
A third knock was at the door. She opened it.
"My mistress, I thought it would disturb you,--it is so just
overhead,--so I have not removed them yet."
"Unravel thy gibberish!--what is it?"
"Pardon, my mistress, I somehow thought you knew it, but you can not."
"What is that writing crumpling in thy hand? Give it me."
"I have promised my young master not to, my mistress."
"I will snatch it, then, and so leave thee blameless.--What? what?
what?--He's mad sure!--'Fine old fellow Dates'--what? what?--mad and
merry!--chest?--clothes?--trunks?--he wants them?--Tumble them out of
his window!--and if he stand right beneath, tumble them out! Dismantle
that whole room. Tear up the carpet. I swear, he shall leave no smallest
vestige in this house.--Here! this very spot--here, here, where I stand,
he may have stood upon;--yes, he tied my shoe-string here; it's
slippery! Dates!"
"My mistress."
"Do his bidding. By reflection he has made me infamous to the world; and
I will make him infamous to it. Listen, and do not delude thyself that
I am crazy. Go up to yonder room" (pointing upward), "and remove every
article in it, and where he bid thee set down the chest and trunks,
there set down all the contents of that room."
"'Twas before the house--this house!"
"And if it had not been there, I would not order thee to put them there.
Dunce! I would have the world know that I disown and scorn him! Do my
bidding!--Stay. Let the room stand; but take him what he asks for."
"I will, my mistress."
As Dates left the chamber, Mrs. Glendinning again paced it swiftly, and
again swiftly muttered: "Now, if I were less a strong and haughty woman,
the fit would have gone by ere now. But deep volcanoes long burn, ere
they burn out.--Oh, that the world were made of such malleable stuff,
that we could recklessly do our fieriest heart's-wish before it, and not
falter. Accursed be those four syllables of sound which make up that
vile word Propriety. It is a chain and bell to drag;--drag? what sound
is that? there's dragging--his trunks--the traveler's--dragging out. Oh
would I could so drag my heart, as fishers for the drowned do, as that I
might drag up my sunken happiness! Boy! boy! worse than brought in
dripping drowned to me,--drowned in icy infamy! Oh! oh! oh!"
She threw herself upon the bed, covered her face, and lay motionless.
But suddenly rose again, and hurriedly rang the bell.
"Open that desk, and draw the stand to me. Now wait and take this to
Miss Lucy."
With a pencil she rapidly traced these lines:--
"My heart bleeds for thee, sweet Lucy. I can not speak--I know it all.
Look for me the first hour I regain myself."
Again she threw herself upon the bed, and lay motionless.
- title
- Chunk 2