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 ix
... in " Marguérite , " pity ; sacrifice , as in Douglas " ; or just sheer love as in ' My Charlie , " each note rings utterly true , the artist - insight is never at fault . " " Yet insight is not the only merit of them ; ix PREFACE.
... in " Marguérite , " pity ; sacrifice , as in Douglas " ; or just sheer love as in ' My Charlie , " each note rings utterly true , the artist - insight is never at fault . " " Yet insight is not the only merit of them ; ix PREFACE.
Page 73
... pity it is that . . . but I had better tell it straight out , and then you can judge for yourself . Mrs. Wyvern is a very rich woman ; nothing about her so noticeable as her wealth . It is not only that she has it ; because really ...
... pity it is that . . . but I had better tell it straight out , and then you can judge for yourself . Mrs. Wyvern is a very rich woman ; nothing about her so noticeable as her wealth . It is not only that she has it ; because really ...
Page 105
... pity ? Is it infinite love ? Is it a feeling deeper still , blended with remorse that she has wrung this existence from Heaven and must protect it ? I know not , but to see them together is enough . Phi - phi's mother loves him , and ...
... pity ? Is it infinite love ? Is it a feeling deeper still , blended with remorse that she has wrung this existence from Heaven and must protect it ? I know not , but to see them together is enough . Phi - phi's mother loves him , and ...
Page 143
... worked hard next term , get a scholarship , an open scholarship at Eton , and it would be a pity , unless of course they had other views , that he should miss this opportunity . " And then he was patted on the head and encouraged 143 ...
... worked hard next term , get a scholarship , an open scholarship at Eton , and it would be a pity , unless of course they had other views , that he should miss this opportunity . " And then he was patted on the head and encouraged 143 ...
Page 155
... pity Mrs. Carson , " with such a husband , poor thing , " and they show their sym- pathy by praising indiscriminately the talent of her daughter . Gladys thinks she is Madame Schumann at least . Gladys draws ; her drawings are handed ...
... pity Mrs. Carson , " with such a husband , poor thing , " and they show their sym- pathy by praising indiscriminately the talent of her daughter . Gladys thinks she is Madame Schumann at least . Gladys draws ; her drawings are handed ...
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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.