The One I Knew The Best Of All by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Author:Frances Hodgson Burnett [Burnett, Frances Hodgson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Klassiker
Publisher: Jazzybee Verlag
Published: 2017-05-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter XI. " Mamma " — and the First One

The chief tone of her world was given to it by the gentle little lady who was her mother — the most kind and simple English lady — of a type the most ingenuous and mild. What the Small Person felt most clearly was that " Mamma" was so entirely and sweetly this gentle and kindly lady. Of course it had not been necessary to formulate this, even in thought, but it was an existent fact which made life pleasant. One could not have borne existence — even as a Small Person — if one's " Mamma " had not been a lady. There were Mammas who were not quite so nice — who wore more ribbons in their caps and who could be seen at a greater distance, and who had not such soft voices, and such almost timidly kind smiles and words for everyone. The Small Person was always thankful after interviews with such Mammas that her own was the one who belonged to her, and to whom she belonged.

It was so interesting to hear of the days when she had been a little girl also.

" When I was a little girl and we lived at Patricroft " was the slender link which formed a chain of many dear little stories of quite another world.

She had not been Romantic. The Small Person had a vague feeling that she herself might have been the subject of memoirs of a sweet and not awe-inspiring kind. " Mamma " could never have been denunciatory. She seemed a little like Amelia Sedley, but not so given to weeping and not so silly. There were two little water-color pictures, which hung in the drawing-room. They were supposed to represent, ideally, Amy Robsart and Jeanie Deans. They had sweet pink faces and brown ringlets, and large, gentle blue eyes. They were very much alike, and the Small Person was very fond of them because Mamma had one day said: " Poor Papa bought them before we were married because he thought they were like me. I used to wear my hair like the picture of Jeanie Deans."

To the Small Person this surrounded them with a halo. The vision of " Poor Papa " overcome by youthful ardor before he was married to Mamma, and tenderly buying these two little pictures because they were like her, and had ringlets, like hers, was simply delightful to her. How could she help loving them?

Was Mamma clever? No, I think not. The Small Person never asked herself the question.

That would have been most sacrilegious unlovingness. And why should one have thought of asking more of her than that she should be " Mamma." One would not ask one's self if an Angel were clever. And, also, one did not think of wondering how many years she had lived. She was just the age of a mamma. Only as long as she lived her mind was like that of an innocent, serious, young girl — with a sort of maidenly matronliness.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.