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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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157 though he thought I didn’t.’ ‘Never mind that, father,’ said Miss Squeers, as the head of the family was about to reply. ‘Who is the man?’ ‘Why, your father has got some nonsense in his head that he’s the son of a poor gentleman that died the other day,’ said Mrs Squeers. ‘The son of a gentleman!’ ‘Yes; but I don’t believe a word of it. If he’s a gentleman’s son at all, he’s a fondling, that’s my opinion.’ ‘Mrs Squeers intended to say ‘foundling,’ but, as she frequently remarked when she made any such mistake, it would be all the same a hundred years hence; with which axiom of philosophy, indeed, she was in the constant habit of consoling the boys when they laboured under more than ordinary ill-usage. ‘He’s nothing of the kind,’ said Squeers, in answer to the above remark, ‘for his father was married to his mother years before he was born, and she is alive now. If he was, it would be no business of ours, for we make a very good friend by having him here; and if he likes to learn the boys anything besides minding them, I have no objection I am sure.’ ‘I say again, I hate him worse than poison,’ said Mrs Squeers vehemently. ‘If you dislike him, my dear,’ returned Squeers, ‘I don’t know anybody who can show dislike better than you, and of course there’s no occasion, with him, to take the trouble to hide it.’ ‘I don’t intend to, I assure you,’ interposed Mrs S. ‘That’s right,’ said Squeers; ‘and if he has a touch of pride about him, as I think he has, I don’t believe there’s woman in all England that can bring anybody’s spirit down, as quick as you can, my |
