The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Anne BrontĂ« (librera reader .txt) đ
- Author: Anne Brontë
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âNever mind, Arthur,â said his mamma; âMrs. Markham thinks it will do you good, as you were tired with your walk; but she will not oblige you to take it!â âI daresay you will do very well without. He detests the very sight of wine,â she added, âand the smell of it almost makes him sick. I have been accustomed to make him swallow a little wine or weak spirits-and-water, by way of medicine, when he was sick, and, in fact, I have done what I could to make him hate them.â
Everybody laughed, except the young widow and her son.
âWell, Mrs. Graham,â said my mother, wiping the tears of merriment from her bright blue eyesâ ââwell, you surprise me! I really gave you credit for having more sense.â âThe poor child will be the veriest milksop that ever was sopped! Only think what a man you will make of him, if you persist inâ ââ
âI think it a very excellent plan,â interrupted Mrs. Graham, with imperturbable gravity. âBy that means I hope to save him from one degrading vice at least. I wish I could render the incentives to every other equally innoxious in his case.â
âBut by such means,â said I, âyou will never render him virtuous.â âWhat is it that constitutes virtue, Mrs. Graham? Is it the circumstance of being able and willing to resist temptation; or that of having no temptations to resist?â âIs he a strong man that overcomes great obstacles and performs surprising achievements, though by dint of great muscular exertion, and at the risk of some subsequent fatigue, or he that sits in his chair all day, with nothing to do more laborious than stirring the fire, and carrying his food to his mouth? If you would have your son to walk honourably through the world, you must not attempt to clear the stones from his path, but teach him to walk firmly over themâ ânot insist upon leading him by the hand, but let him learn to go alone.â
âI will lead him by the hand, Mr. Markham, till he has strength to go alone; and I will clear as many stones from his path as I can, and teach him to avoid the restâ âor walk firmly over them, as you say;â âfor when I have done my utmost, in the way of clearance, there will still be plenty left to exercise all the agility, steadiness, and circumspection he will ever have.â âIt is all very well to talk about noble resistance, and trials of virtue; but for fiftyâ âor five hundred men that have yielded to temptation, show me one that has had virtue to resist. And why should I take it for granted that my son will be one in a thousand?â âand not rather prepare for the worst, and suppose he will be like hisâ âlike the rest of mankind, unless I take care to prevent it?â
âYou are very complimentary to us all,â I observed.
âI know nothing about youâ âI speak of those I do knowâ âand when I see the whole race of mankind (with a few rare exceptions) stumbling and blundering along the path of life, sinking into every pitfall, and breaking their shins over every impediment that lies in their way, shall I not use all the means in my power to insure for him a smoother and a safer passage?â
âYes, but the surest means will be to endeavour to fortify him against temptation, not to remove it out of his way.â
âI will do both, Mr. Markham. God knows he will have temptations enough to assail him, both from within and without, when I have done all I can to render vice as uninviting to him, as it is abominable in its own natureâ âI myself have had, indeed, but few incentives to what the world calls vice, but yet I have experienced temptations and trials of another kind, that have required, on many occasions, more watchfulness and firmness to resist than I have hitherto been able to muster against them. And this, I believe, is what most others would acknowledge who are accustomed to reflection, and wishful to strive against their natural corruptions.â
âYes,â said my mother, but half apprehending her drift; âbut you would not judge of a boy by yourselfâ âand, my dear Mrs. Graham, let me warn you in good time against the errorâ âthe fatal error, I may call itâ âof taking that boyâs education upon yourself. Because you are clever in some things and well informed, you may fancy yourself equal to the task; but indeed you are not; and if you persist in the attempt, believe me you will bitterly repent it when the mischief is done.â
âI am to send him to school, I suppose, to learn to despise his motherâs authority and affection!â said the lady, with rather a bitter smile.
âOh, no!â âBut if you would have a boy to despise his mother, let her keep him at home, and spend her life in petting him up, and slaving to indulge his follies and caprices.â
âI perfectly agree with you, Mrs. Markham; but nothing can be further from my principles and practice than such criminal weakness as that.â
âWell, but you will treat him like a girlâ âyouâll spoil his spirit, and make a mere Miss Nancy of himâ âyou will, indeed, Mrs. Graham, whatever you may think. But Iâll get Mr. Millward to talk to you about it:â âheâll tell you the consequences;â âheâll set it before you as plain as the day;â âand tell you what you ought to do, and all about it;â âand, I donât doubt, heâll be able to convince you in a minute.â
âNo occasion to trouble the vicar,â said Mrs. Graham, glancing at meâ âI suppose I was smiling at my motherâs unbounded confidence in that worthy gentlemanâ ââMr. Markham here thinks his powers of conviction at least equal to Mr. Millwardâs. If I hear not him, neither should I be convinced though one rose from the dead, he would tell you. Well, Mr. Markham, you that maintain that a boy should not
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