People May Flatter Themselves Just As Much

She Would Fain Have Caught At The Skirts Of That Departing Time, And Prayed It To Return, And Give Her Back What She Had Too Little Valued While It Was Yet In Her Possession. What A Vain Show Life Seemed! How Unsubstantial, And Flickering, And Flitting! It Was As If From Some Aerial Belfry, High Up Above The Stir And Jar Of The Earth, There Was A Bell Continually Tolling, ‘all Are Shadows!—all Are Passing!—all Is Past!

In The First Place, Cranford Is In Possession Of The Amazons; All The Holders Of Houses Above A Certain Rent Are Women. If A Married Couple Come To Settle In The Town, Somehow The Gentleman Disappears; He Is Either Fairly Frightened To Death By Being The Only Man In The Cranford Parties, Or He Is Accounted For By Being With His Regiment, His Hip, Or Closely Engaged In Business All The Week In The Great Neighbouring Commercial Town Of Drumble, Distant Only Twenty Miles On A Railroad. In Short, Whatever Does Become Of The Gentlemen, They Are Not At Cranford.

Yes! He Knew How She Would Love. He Had Not Loved Her Without Gaining That Instinctive Knowledge Of What Capabilities Were In Her. Her Soul Would Walk In Glorious Sunlight If Any Man Was Worthy, By His Power Of Loving, To Win Back Her Love.

But With The Increase Of Serious And Just Ground Of Complaint, A New Kind Of Patience Had Sprung Up In Her Mother's Mind. She Was Gentle And Quiet In Intense Bodily Suffering, Almost In Proportion As She Had Been Restless And Depressed When There Had Been No Real Cause For Grief.

I Dare Not Hope. I Never Was Fainthearted Before; But I Cannot Believe Such A Creature Cares For Me.