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 32
... voice could soothe . They told her that God had taken the boy in mercy ; to their earth - blinded eyes it seemed a mercy to take her only solace from the mother who could prove no right to it . Poor wife who had no husband ! poor mother ...
... voice could soothe . They told her that God had taken the boy in mercy ; to their earth - blinded eyes it seemed a mercy to take her only solace from the mother who could prove no right to it . Poor wife who had no husband ! poor mother ...
Page 43
... voice if she were hurt : and Mrs. Devereux would be the servant and excuse herself ; —and so that trouble too would be turned into a pleasure . And from childhood , Maud grew to girlhood . What her education had done for her was to ...
... voice if she were hurt : and Mrs. Devereux would be the servant and excuse herself ; —and so that trouble too would be turned into a pleasure . And from childhood , Maud grew to girlhood . What her education had done for her was to ...
Page 93
... voice . Mother , Mother ; kiss me , Mother , " and a mother's kiss , the first and the last , touched her lips gently . " Tell your aunt , " said the voice ; " tell your aunt . " And then , slowly and gradually , the form and voice and ...
... voice . Mother , Mother ; kiss me , Mother , " and a mother's kiss , the first and the last , touched her lips gently . " Tell your aunt , " said the voice ; " tell your aunt . " And then , slowly and gradually , the form and voice and ...
Page 94
Julia Frankau. gradually , the form and voice and light faded , and Eileen awoke . I have heard the girl tell the story with eyes full of tears and voice broken with emotion . I have heard her tell how she took the words for inspiration ...
Julia Frankau. gradually , the form and voice and light faded , and Eileen awoke . I have heard the girl tell the story with eyes full of tears and voice broken with emotion . I have heard her tell how she took the words for inspiration ...
Page 97
... voice . She was the one woman in the world to him ; all the rest shadows , phantoms , less tangible than those creatures who thronged his brain and grew alive to him in the sheets of his manuscripts , alive to the world in the pages of ...
... voice . She was the one woman in the world to him ; all the rest shadows , phantoms , less tangible than those creatures who thronged his brain and grew alive to him in the sheets of his manuscripts , alive to the world in the pages of ...
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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.