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 vi
... passions the soul wavers like a magnetic needle between two poles , vibrating now towards one , now towards the other - so that , in the case of the average woman - writer , neither destiny is fulfilled completely , and she dies as she ...
... passions the soul wavers like a magnetic needle between two poles , vibrating now towards one , now towards the other - so that , in the case of the average woman - writer , neither destiny is fulfilled completely , and she dies as she ...
Page 20
... passion . He has managed to absorb not only the foreground but the whole of the canvas which stands to her for life . She is a cold woman , this mother of Arthur's , intellectually superior to her surroundings , but with an unfortunate ...
... passion . He has managed to absorb not only the foreground but the whole of the canvas which stands to her for life . She is a cold woman , this mother of Arthur's , intellectually superior to her surroundings , but with an unfortunate ...
Page 22
... passion that now dominates her so exclusively . What precise moment of emotion lit the spark , it is impossible to say . Perhaps the glow of pride when one of her acquaint- ances exclaimed that they had never seen a child commence to ...
... passion that now dominates her so exclusively . What precise moment of emotion lit the spark , it is impossible to say . Perhaps the glow of pride when one of her acquaint- ances exclaimed that they had never seen a child commence to ...
Page 66
... passion of her nature . Still , she was not quickly emotional : even motherhood moved her only gradually . " " She became conscious of a warmer glow over her heart when " Margy broke away from visitors to nestle against her mother's ...
... passion of her nature . Still , she was not quickly emotional : even motherhood moved her only gradually . " " She became conscious of a warmer glow over her heart when " Margy broke away from visitors to nestle against her mother's ...
Page 79
... throb- bing ; and , as time went on , every bone aching ; crying at first tears of passion and anger , afterwards of weakness and despair and hopelessness . She did not believe in her own illness ; she knew well enough 79 JESSIE.
... throb- bing ; and , as time went on , every bone aching ; crying at first tears of passion and anger , afterwards of weakness and despair and hopelessness . She did not believe in her own illness ; she knew well enough 79 JESSIE.
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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.