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 36
... terrible months passed : a stone where her heart had been . Then Bobby came back . First he came in the night ; he woke her from a terrible sobbing dream ; he nestled again in her arms ; he whispered to her - baby broken words . Then ...
... terrible months passed : a stone where her heart had been . Then Bobby came back . First he came in the night ; he woke her from a terrible sobbing dream ; he nestled again in her arms ; he whispered to her - baby broken words . Then ...
Page 43
... terrible months passed : a stone where her heart had been . Then Bobby came back . First he came in the night ; he woke her from a terrible sobbing dream ; he nestled again in her arms ; he whispered to her - baby broken words . Then ...
... terrible months passed : a stone where her heart had been . Then Bobby came back . First he came in the night ; he woke her from a terrible sobbing dream ; he nestled again in her arms ; he whispered to her - baby broken words . Then ...
Page 81
... terrible appeal for release ; she had read there a smug satisfaction at the comfort of all the arrangements , of the neat nurse and the pleasant room , and the handsome surroundings . Jessica grew to be quite the show child of the house ...
... terrible appeal for release ; she had read there a smug satisfaction at the comfort of all the arrangements , of the neat nurse and the pleasant room , and the handsome surroundings . Jessica grew to be quite the show child of the house ...
Page 82
... terrible , wakeful night - hours , when she cried to herself , with deep sobs -suppressed so that nurse should not wake up and hear them , and soothe her with the old phrases that she knew and rebelled against . Poor Jessie ! Of course ...
... terrible , wakeful night - hours , when she cried to herself , with deep sobs -suppressed so that nurse should not wake up and hear them , and soothe her with the old phrases that she knew and rebelled against . Poor Jessie ! Of course ...
Page 103
... terrible of all , Joanna would look to him for sympathy with the small strides the child would make towards the land of understanding that his feet were never to enter . Eric , see , he walks , he is now holding on to my finger , do ...
... terrible of all , Joanna would look to him for sympathy with the small strides the child would make towards the land of understanding that his feet were never to enter . Eric , see , he walks , he is now holding on to my finger , do ...
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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.