Mothers and ChildrenW. Collins, 1918 - 166 pages These 14 brief, contrasting vignettes, which each stand alone and deal with one mother and her child, provide glimpses of a huge range of mother-child relationships. Most extol the passion, depth and fulfilment of maternal love, which is likened in some tales to divine love, even protecting a child from beyond the grave (EILEEN). Some mothers invest all ambition in their offspring (ARTHUR). Some stories describe tragedies – MARGUERITE turns out ‘a dumbie’, longed-for PHI-PHI is an ‘idiot’, clever GERALD has a serious accident at Eton, BOBBY dies aged 4, devastating his mother, idolised CHARLIE becomes delinquent and ruins the family (though retaining his mother’s adoration). DOUGLAS’s adoptive mother cannot love him as his own mother still does. Some children return this devotion - GERALD comforts his anguished mother after his accident, MAUD gives up married love to care for her blind mother. NORMAN’s mother, fleeing a drunken, murderous husband, is redeemed and comforted by her son. Other mothers, like DERRICK’s, hate their children, with reciprocal dislike. GLADYS, spoiled by her mother, grows up selfish and arrogant. JANEY’s mother despises husband and child, and Janey dreams of her absent father. |
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Page 21
... remember Joan Danvers as reckless as she was improvident , as merry and as popular as the rest of her family ; but that was long ago , many years before she married David Ferrars and became the mother of Arthur . When 21 ARTHUR.
... remember Joan Danvers as reckless as she was improvident , as merry and as popular as the rest of her family ; but that was long ago , many years before she married David Ferrars and became the mother of Arthur . When 21 ARTHUR.
Page 45
... marry him , and been satisfied with the answer , and gone away content- " Mother , darling , " she said , as they sat together in the bedroom , Mrs. Devereux on an easy - chair , Maud on the foot- stool beside her , hiding her face , a ...
... marry him , and been satisfied with the answer , and gone away content- " Mother , darling , " she said , as they sat together in the bedroom , Mrs. Devereux on an easy - chair , Maud on the foot- stool beside her , hiding her face , a ...
Page 46
... marriage , and Mrs. Devereux seconded his urging , Maud began to notice something , something that made her heart sink , that struck her in the midst of her joy , that turned her being cold , and terrified her with the first terror she ...
... marriage , and Mrs. Devereux seconded his urging , Maud began to notice something , something that made her heart sink , that struck her in the midst of her joy , that turned her being cold , and terrified her with the first terror she ...
Page 47
... married , known Maud happy , she would have passed into her darkness without a word . But mother and child cannot live together for eighteen loving years and part like this . Maud saw ; her mother's eyes had been her eyes in baby days ...
... married , known Maud happy , she would have passed into her darkness without a word . But mother and child cannot live together for eighteen loving years and part like this . Maud saw ; her mother's eyes had been her eyes in baby days ...
Page 48
... marriage went out of the girl's life ; if Gerald was not strong enough to take upon himself the burden of a wife who would not live apart from her mother ; can it be said that Maud missed the highest that life could give ? Maud is ...
... marriage went out of the girl's life ; if Gerald was not strong enough to take upon himself the burden of a wife who would not live apart from her mother ; can it be said that Maud missed the highest that life could give ? Maud is ...
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Common terms and phrases
ambitions arms Arthur asked Aunt Bessie baby beautiful Bobby brain caresses Carson Charlie child Chisel Danby's Derrick Devereux Douglas dream Eileen Eric Eton everything face father Frank Danby Frazer friends genius Gerald girl glad Gladys grew growing hair hands happy head heard heart ache Heaven husband Janey Jessie Joanna John Evans kiss knee knew light lips little angel little one's lived look Marguérite Margy marriage married maternity Maud Maud's measles months mother-love mother's eyes MOTHERS AND CHILDREN Mummy Mumsey ness nestled never night nurse nursery old Celia old maid pain pale passion perhaps Phi-phi Phyllis Vane's pity Poor little Poor mother Reuben Carson's seemed shadow world Slowcumb smiled Stanford University story sympathy talk tears tell Temple thought tin soldier told touched tremulous trouble turn Ursula voice watch wife woman words Wyvern young young doctor
Popular passages
Page 21 - I HAD a little daughter, And she was given to me To lead me gently backward To ,the Heavenly Father's knee, That I, by the force of nature, Might in some dim wise divine The depth of his infinite patience To this wayward soul of mine.