Moth and Rust; Together with Geoffrey's Wife and The Pitfall. Mary Cholmondeley

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      Published by Good Press, 2019

       [email protected]

      EAN 4064066187057

Table of Contents

       PREFACE

       MOTH AND RUST

       MOTH AND RUST

       CHAPTER I

       CHAPTER II

       CHAPTER III

       CHAPTER IV

       CHAPTER V

       CHAPTER VI

       CHAPTER VII

       CHAPTER VIII

       CHAPTER IX

       CHAPTER X

       CHAPTER XI

       CHAPTER XII

       CHAPTER XIII

       CHAPTER XIV

       CONCLUSION

       GEOFFREY'S WIFE

       GEOFFREY'S WIFE

       THE PITFALL

       THE PITFALL

       PART I

       PART II

       PART III

       THE END

PREFACE

       Table of Contents

      My best thanks are due to the Editor of The Graphic for his kind permission to republish "Geoffrey's Wife," which appeared originally in The Graphic.

      MARY CHOLMONDELEY.

MOTH AND RUST

       Table of Contents

MOTH AND RUST

       Table of Contents

CHAPTER I

       Table of Contents

      "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal."

      The Vicar gave out the text, and proceeded to expound it. The little congregation settled down peacefully to listen. Except four of their number, the "quality" in the carved Easthope pew, none of them had much treasure on earth. Their treasure for the greater part consisted of a pig, that was certainly being "laid up" to meet the rent at Christmas. But there would hardly be time for moth and rust to get into it before its secluded life should migrate into flitches and pork pies. Not that the poorest of Mr. Long's parishioners had any fear of such an event, for they never associated his sermons with anything to do with themselves, except on one occasion when the good man had preached earnestly against drunkenness, and a respectable widow had ceased to attend divine service in consequence, because, as she observed, she was not going to be spoken against like that by any one, be they who they may, after all the years she had been "on the teetotal."

      Perhaps the two farmers who had driven over resplendent wives in dog-carts had treasure on earth. They certainly had money in the bank at Mudbury, for they were to be seen striding in in gaiters on market-day to draw it out. But then it was well known that thieves did not break through into banks and steal. Banks sometimes broke of themselves, but not often.

      On the whole, the congregation was at its ease. It felt that the text was well chosen, and that it applied exclusively to the four occupants of "the Squire's" pew.

      The hard-worked Vicar certainly had no treasure on earth, if you excepted his principal possessions, namely, his pale wife and little flock of rosy children, and these, of course, were only encumbrances. Had they not proved to be so? For his cousin had promised him the family living, and would certainly have kept that promise when it became vacant, if the wife he had married in the interval had not held such strong views as to a celibate clergy.

      The Vicar was a conscientious man, and the conscientious are seldom concise.

      "He СКАЧАТЬ