Page:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (emended first edition), Volume 3.djvu/76

66 recollections; though, to be sure, he would find little good of himself therein indited, except in the former part—and oh, I would sooner burn it all than he should read what I had written when I was such a fool as to love him!

"And by the by," cried he as I was leaving the room, "you'd better tell that d—d old sneak of a nurse to keep out of my way for a day or two—I'd pay her her wages and send her packing to-morrow, but I know she'd do more mischief out of the house than in it."

And as I departed, he went on cursing and abusing my faithful friend and servant with epithets I will not defile this paper with repeating. I went to her as soon as I had put away my book, and told her how our project was defeated. She was as much distressed and horrified as I was—and more so than I was that night, for I was partly stunned by the blow, and partly excited and supported against it by the bitterness of my wrath. But in the