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 70
... round the room , said now to the fashionable woman , and seemed to blot out the world of fashion , everything but themselves . And the love the little one dumbly asked was given to her , not by halves , not in stinted measure , but in ...
... round the room , said now to the fashionable woman , and seemed to blot out the world of fashion , everything but themselves . And the love the little one dumbly asked was given to her , not by halves , not in stinted measure , but in ...
Page 78
... round the room and then across the room , and she had to stand in this position and in that position , and I don't know in how many positions . At first she felt it was rather grand , she felt rather like a heroine at being singled out ...
... round the room and then across the room , and she had to stand in this position and in that position , and I don't know in how many positions . At first she felt it was rather grand , she felt rather like a heroine at being singled out ...
Page 131
... may live . There are some mothers in their happy homes , warm and cosy , with their little ones round them , who will say , " Give up her baby , part with her child ? How terrible ! I never could do that , what- ever 131 DOUGLAS.
... may live . There are some mothers in their happy homes , warm and cosy , with their little ones round them , who will say , " Give up her baby , part with her child ? How terrible ! I never could do that , what- ever 131 DOUGLAS.
Page 132
... round their luxurious homes , and the very words they speak will be as empty as the idle echoes in the room . They will not understand , they cannot understand , the struggles , the tortures this mother went through before she gave up ...
... round their luxurious homes , and the very words they speak will be as empty as the idle echoes in the room . They will not understand , they cannot understand , the struggles , the tortures this mother went through before she gave up ...
Page 141
... round and put her hand upon her husband's , and say in an excited voice : ' Did you hear that , Father ? That's our Gerry ; I know it is . " And presently , when she heard " First prize for Latin - Master Gerald Frazer , " her eyes ...
... round and put her hand upon her husband's , and say in an excited voice : ' Did you hear that , Father ? That's our Gerry ; I know it is . " And presently , when she heard " First prize for Latin - Master Gerald Frazer , " her eyes ...
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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.