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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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654 It is a pleasant thing to reflect upon, and furnishes a complete answer to those who contend for the gradual degeneration of the human species, that every baby born into the world is a finer one than the last. ‘I ne-ver saw such a baby,’ said Mr Lumbey, the doctor. ‘Morleena was a fine baby,’ remarked Mr Kenwigs; as if this were rather an attack, by implication, upon the family. ‘They were all fine babies,’ said Mr Lumbey. And Mr Lumbey went on nursing the baby with a thoughtful look. Whether he was considering under what head he could best charge the nursing in the bill, was best known to himself. During this short conversation, Miss Morleena, as the eldest of the family, and natural representative of her mother during her indisposition, had been hustling and slapping the three younger Miss Kenwigses, without intermission; which considerate and affectionate conduct brought tears into the eyes of Mr Kenwigs, and caused him to declare that, in understanding and behaviour, that child was a woman. ‘She will be a treasure to the man she marries, sir,’ said Mr Kenwigs, half aside; ‘I think she’ll marry above her station, Mr Lumbey.’ ‘I shouldn’t wonder at all,’ replied the doctor. ‘You never see her dance, sir, did you?’ asked Mr Kenwigs. The doctor shook his head. ‘Ay!’ said Mr Kenwigs, as though he pitied him from his heart, ‘then you don’t know what she’s capable of.’ All this time there had been a great whisking in and out of the other room; the door had been opened and shut very softly about twenty times a minute (for it was necessary to keep Mrs Kenwigs |
