Courtesy and Contempt

Chapter 10

Chapter 10Mr. Winstone came from Highbury and came from a distinguished family that had risen to nobility and estates in the last two or three generations. He had received a good education, but by the time he had achieved a little self-employment early in life, he had not become dissatisfied with any of the simpler occupations his brothers were engaged in, and had satisfied an active, cheerful spirit and social temperament by engaging in the militia of his county, then embodying it.

Captain Winstone was a general favourite; and when the odds of his military life had introduced him to Miss Curcelle from a large Yorkshire family and Miss Curcelle fell in love with him, no one was surprised except her brother and wife, who had never seen him and who were full of pride and importance that would hurt the connection.

However, Miss Curcelle, who was of legal age and had her fortune – although her assets were disproportionate to the family property – was not dissuaded from the marriage, and she took place, to the infinite humiliation of Mr... and Mrs. Curcelle, whom she threw off with due decency. It was an inappropriate compound and did not bring much joy. Mrs. Winstone should have found more in it, for she had a husband whose warm heart and sweet temperament led him to attribute everything to her in return for the great kindness of being in love with him; but although she had some kind of spirit, she didn't have the best. She had enough determination to pursue her own will despite her brother, but not enough to abstain from unreasonable regret at this brother's unreasonable anger or to miss the luxury of her former home.

Captain Winstone, who had been regarded as such an amazing opponent, especially by the Curcelles, demonstrably had the worst of the matter; because when his wife died after three years of marriage, he was a slightly poorer man than first and had a child to feed. However, he was soon exempt from the cost of the child. The boy, with the additional mitigating claim of a persistent illness of his mother, had been the means of a kind of reconciliation; and Mr. and Mrs. Curcelle, who had neither their own children nor any other young creature of the same kinship to care for, offered to take over the entire care of little Frank soon after their death. The widower's father is said to have felt some scruples and some reluctance; but since they were overwhelmed by other considerations,

a complete change of life became desirable. He left the militia and engaged in trade, as he already had well-established brothers in London, which gave him a favorable opportunity. It was a concern that brought just enough employment. He still had a small house in Highbury, where he spent most of his free time; and between useful occupation and the pleasures of society, the next eighteen or twenty years of his life passed happily. By this time, he had recognized a simple skill – enough to secure the purchase of a small estate next to Highbury that he had always longed for – enough to marry a woman who was no more than Miss Taylor, and to live according to the desires of his own kind and social disposition.

It had now been some time since Miss Taylor had begun to influence his plans; but since it was not the tyrannical influence of youth on youth, it had not shaken his determination never to settle until he could buy Randalls, and the sale of Randalls was long awaited; but he had continued with these goals in mind until they were completed. He had made his fortune, bought his house and got his wife; and began a new period of existence with all probability greater happiness than in any previous one. He had never been an unhappy man; his own temperament had already saved him from this in his first marriage; but his second must show him how delightful a judgmental and truly amiable woman can be, and must provide him with the most pleasant proof that it is much better to choose than to be chosen,

He had only himself to please in his choice: his fortune belonged to him; for for Frank it had been raised more than tacitly as the heir of his uncle, it had become such a declared adoption that he took the name Curcelle when he came of age. It was therefore highly unlikely that he would ever need his father's help. His father had no idea about it. The aunt was a capricious woman and ruled her husband completely; but it was not in Mr. Winstone's nature to imagine that any whim could be strong enough to influence you so dear and, as he believed, so deservedly dear people. He saw his son every year in London and was proud of him; and his loving account of him as a very fine young man had also made Highbury feel a kind of pride in him.

Mr. Frank Curcelle was one of Highbury's show-offs, and a lively curiosity to see him prevailed, even though the compliment was so little reciprocated that he had never been there in his life. His visit to his father had been mentioned many times, but never achieved.

Now, after his father's marriage, it was generally suggested that the visit should take place as the most appropriate attention. There was no dissenting voice on the subject, neither when Mrs. Perry drank tea with Mrs. and Miss Bates, nor when Mrs. and Miss Bates returned the visit. Now it was time for Mr. Frank Curcelle to come to them; and hope was strengthened when it became known that he had written to his new mother on this occasion. For a few days, every morning visit to Highbury included a mention of the beautiful letter Mrs. Winstone had received. "I suppose you heard about the beautiful letter that Mr. Frank Curcelle wrote to Mrs. Winstone? I understand that it was really a very nice letter. Mr. Lodge told me about it. Mr. Lodge has seen the letter, and he says he has never seen such a beautiful letter in his life."

It was indeed a highly esteemed letter. Mrs. Winstone, of course, had a very favorable idea of the young man; and such pleasant attention was irresistible proof of his great reason and a most welcome addition to every source and expression of congratulations that had already secured her marriage. She felt like a most happy woman; and she had lived long enough to know how happy one could think of her, where the only regret was the partial separation from friends whose friendship with her had never cooled down and who could hardly bear to break up with her.

She knew that sometimes you had to miss her; and could not think without pain that Emma loses a single pleasure or suffers an hour of boredom because she lacks her companion: but dear Emma was not a weak character; she was better able to cope with her situation than most girls would have been, and had wits and energy and spirits that one could hope would carry her well and happily through her little difficulties and privations. And then there was so much comfort in the very comfortable distance from Randalls from Hartfield, which was so convenient even for lonely women, and in Mr. Winstone's disposition and circumstances that would not prevent the approaching season from spending half of the evenings together during the week.

Her situation as a whole was the subject of hours of gratitude to Mrs. Winstone and moments of only regret; and her satisfaction – her more than satisfaction – her cheerful pleasure, was so just and so obvious that Emma, ?? although she knew her father well, was sometimes surprised that he was still able to pity "poor Miss Taylor" when they were together she left in Randalls in the center of every domestic comfort or saw her walk away in the evening, accompanied by her pleasant husband, to her own carriage. But she never left without Mr. Lodge giving a gentle sigh and saying, "Ah, poor Miss Taylor! She would love to stay."

There was no recovering Miss Taylor – and no great chance that she would stop feeling sorry for her; but a few weeks brought Mr. Lodge a relief. The compliments of his neighbors were over; he was no longer teased with wishing joy over such a sad event; and the wedding cake, which had tormented him very much, was eaten. His own stomach could not tolerate anything rich, and he could never believe that other people were different from him. What was unhealthy to him, he considered unsuitable for any body; and he had therefore seriously tried to dissuade her from eating a wedding cake at all, and when that turned out to be in vain, he had also seriously tried to prevent anyone from eating it. He had made an effort to consult Mr. Perry, the pharmacist, on this subject. Mr. Perry was an intelligent, gentle man whose frequent visits were one of the comforts of Mr. Lodge's life; and when asked about it, he couldn't help but admit (though it seemed more against the bias of inclination) that wedding cake could certainly disagree with many — perhaps most people, unless it was taken moderately. With such an opinion, in confirmation of his own, Mr. Lodge hoped to influence every visitor of the newly married couple; but still the cake was eaten; and there was no rest for his benevolent nerves until everything was gone. Lodge hoped to influence every visitor of the newlywed couple; but still the cake was eaten; and there was no rest for his benevolent nerves until everything was gone. Lodge hoped to influence every visitor of the newlywed couple; but still the cake was eaten; and there was no rest for his benevolent nerves until everything was gone.

There was a strange rumor in Highbury that all the little Perrys were seen with a piece of Mrs. Winstone's wedding cake in hand, but Mr. Lodge would never believe it.