Page:Dickens - Our Mutual Friend, ed. Lang, 1897, vol.1.djvu/71

 A KIND OF WIDOW. 45

wealth I had, and how it melted away, and how I am here in this ridiculous mourning which I hate ! a kind of a widow who never was married. And yet you don't feel for me. Yes you do, yes you do." 1 *

This abrupt change was occasioned by her father's face. She stopped to pull him down from his chair in an attitude highly favourable to strangulation, and to give him a kiss and a pat or two on the cheek.

" But you ought to feel for me, you know, pa."

" My dear, I do."

"Yes, and I say you ought to. If they had only left me alone and told me nothing about it, it would have mattered much less. But that nasty Mr. Lightwood feels it his duty, as he says, to write and tell me what is in reserve for me, and then I am obliged to get rid of George Sampson.' 1

Here Lavinia, rising to the surface with the last draught- man rescued, interposed, " You never cared for George Sampson, Bella."

"And did I say I did, miss?" Then, pouting again, with the curls in her mouth : " George Sampson was very fond of me, and admired me very much, and put up with everything I did to him."

"You were rude enough to him," Lavinia again interposed.

" And did I say I wasn't, miss ? I am not setting up to be sentimental about George Sampson. I only say George Sampson was better than nothing."

"You didn't show him that you thought even that," Lavinia again interposed.

"You are a chit and a little idiot," returned Bella, "or you wouldn't make such a dolly speech. What did you expect me to do ? Wait till you are a woman, and don't talk about what you don't understand. You only show your ignorance ! " Then whimpering again, and at intervals biting the curls, and stopping to look how much was bitten oft', " It's a shame ! There never was such a hard case ! I shouldn't care so much if it wasn't so ridiculous. It was