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 65
... morning and evening , unless some very pressing engagement intervened , Mrs. Temple saw her for a hurried moment , kissed her , and perhaps took her in her arms . Baby's bottle was dearer to her than her mother ; laughingly Mrs. Temple ...
... morning and evening , unless some very pressing engagement intervened , Mrs. Temple saw her for a hurried moment , kissed her , and perhaps took her in her arms . Baby's bottle was dearer to her than her mother ; laughingly Mrs. Temple ...
Page 66
... to need her . Her evening visit to the nursery grew longer ; Margy would now be brought to her in the morning also , whilst she dressed ; she would even find an excuse to run upstairs for a moment at 66 MOTHERS AND CHILDREN.
... to need her . Her evening visit to the nursery grew longer ; Margy would now be brought to her in the morning also , whilst she dressed ; she would even find an excuse to run upstairs for a moment at 66 MOTHERS AND CHILDREN.
Page 76
... morning for a few days to examine the children and see if they had any symptoms . That was how the mischief occurred . Dr. Chisel was a great man , so great that he charged two guineas for each child he saw , although there was nothing ...
... morning for a few days to examine the children and see if they had any symptoms . That was how the mischief occurred . Dr. Chisel was a great man , so great that he charged two guineas for each child he saw , although there was nothing ...
Page 81
... morning to look at her , she turned pale and red with rage . Hate grew in her heart to the exclusion of everything else , hatred born of a cruel sense of injustice . She had looked into her mother's face for sympathy , with a dumb ...
... morning to look at her , she turned pale and red with rage . Hate grew in her heart to the exclusion of everything else , hatred born of a cruel sense of injustice . She had looked into her mother's face for sympathy , with a dumb ...
Page 89
... a modest little girl , and , if it had not constantly been put into her head , would not have thought of lovers for years to come . Now Eileen was in the habit of going down every morning to Slowcumb beach while Auntie took her 89 EILEEN.
... a modest little girl , and , if it had not constantly been put into her head , would not have thought of lovers for years to come . Now Eileen was in the habit of going down every morning to Slowcumb beach while Auntie took her 89 EILEEN.
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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.