Elinor Fulton (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER V. A LETTER. There are few ears, excepting 'the dull, cold ear of death,' which flattery does not enter. When Mrs. Reed had gone, Jane exclaimed, ' I feel a great deal better for Mrs. Reed's visit. I wish, Elinor, we could afford to have company of an evening, the evenings are so long; but it is out of the question. Everybody knows that it costs a great deal to have company." ' It does not cost a great deal, mother,' said Julia, ' to have such company as Mr. and Mrs. Watson, and Henry Wardour, and they often come in and spend an evening with us.' ' O, yes; but I don't call them company. I mean such company, as I used to keep; for instance, Mrs. Reed and Mrs. Bradish, and twenty others.' 'If the twenty others,' said Elinor, 'are like Mrs. Reed, may we be preserved from them !' ' What do you mean ?' exclaimed Mrs. Fulton, looking at her with astonishment; 'pray do you know any thing against her ?' ' I think she is a hard-hearted, selfish woman,' said Elinor, resolutely. 11 cannot approve,' said Mrs. Fulton, 'of your speaking of any one, much less of my friends, in this way.' 'Depend upon it, mother, she is not your friend,' replied Elinor, ' or her visit here was not one of friendship, ? it was one of curiosity; and then, too, she wants to purchase the piano.' She now gave some account of her manoeuvres, but suppressed her allusions to former extravagance. ' Why did you not tell her at once,' said Jane, ' that you gave lessons in music, and could not part with the piano on that account ? ' Elinor was silent. 'I don't think,' said Jane, meekly, 'we ought to have any pride about the matter.' 'I hope, mother,' said Elinor, 'it was not pride that prevented my telling her; but her conversation and manners were so disagreeable to me, th...