Tales and Novels Volume 5 Author:Maria Edgeworth Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV. " I shall in all my best obey you, madam." Hamlet, i "DiD you meet Miss Hunter, my dear son?" said she. " Yes, ma'am, I just passed the c... more »arriage in the avenue: she is going home, is not she 1" said he, rather in a tone of satisfaction. "Ah, poor thing! yes," said Mrs. Beaumont, in a most pathetic tone : " ah, poor thing !" "Why, ma'am, what has happened to her? What's the matter?" " Matter? Oh, nothing !—Did I say that any thing was the matter? Don't speak so loud," whispered she: " your groom heard every word we said; stay till he is out of hearing, and then we can talk." " I don't care if all the world hears what I say," cried Mr. Beaumont hastily : but, as if suppressing his rising indignation, he, with a milder look and tone, added, " I cannot conceive, my dear mother, why you are always so afraid of being overheard." " Servants, my dear, make such mischief, you know, by misunderstanding and misrepresenting every thing they hear; and they repeat things so oddly, and raise such strange reports!" " True—very true indeed, ma'am," said Mr. Beaumont. " You are quite right, and I beg pardon for being so hasty—I wish you could teach me a little of your patience and prudence." " Prudence! ah! my dear Edward, 'tis only time and sad experience of the world can teach that to people of our open tempers. I was at your age ten times more imprudent and unsuspicious than you are." " Were you, ma'am ?—But I don't think I am unsuspicious. I was when I was a boy—I wish we could continue children always in some things. I hate suspicion in any body—but more than in any one else, I hate it in myself. And yet " Mr. Beaumont hesitated, and his mother instantly went onwith a fluent panegyric upon the hereditary unsuspiciousness of his temper. " But...« less