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257
Cranford
·
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
115
Miss
Matty
and
I
quietly
decided
that
we
would
have
a
previous
engagement
at
home:
it
was
the
evening
on
which
Miss
Matty
usually
made
candle-lighters
of
all
the
notes
and
letters
of
the
week;
for
on
Mondays
her
accounts
were
always
made
straight—
not
a
penny
owing
from
the
week
before;
so,
by
a
natural
arrangement,
making
candle-lighters
fell
upon
a
Tuesday
evening,
and
gave
us
a
legitimate
excuse
for
declining
Mrs
Jamieson’s
invitation.
But
before
our
answer
was
written,
in
came
Miss
Pole,
with
an
open
note
in
her
hand.
“So!”
she
said.
“Ah!
I
see
you
have
got
your
note,
too.
Better
late
than
never.
I
could
have
told
my
Lady
Glenmire
she
would
be
glad
enough
of
our
society
before
a
fortnight
was
over.”
“Yes,”
said
Miss
Matty,
“we’re
asked
for
Tuesday
evening.
And
perhaps
you
would
just
kindly
bring
your
work
across
and
drink
tea
with
us
that
night.
It
is
my
usual
regular
time
for
looking
over
the
last
week’s
bills,
and
notes,
and
letters,
and
making
candle-lighters
of
them;
but
that
does
not
seem
quite
reason
enough
for
saying
I
have
a
previous
engagement
at
home,
though
I
meant
to
make
it
do.
Now,
if
you
would
come,
my
conscience
would
be
quite
at
ease,
and
luckily
the
note
is
not
written
yet.”
I
saw
Miss
Pole’s
countenance
change
while
Miss
Matty
was
speaking.
“Don’t
you
mean
to
go
then?”
asked
she.
“Oh,
no!”
said,
Miss
Matty
quietly.
“You
don’t
either,
I
suppose?”
“I
don’t
know,”
replied
Miss
Pole.
“Yes,
I
think
I
do,”
said
she,
rather
briskly;
and
on
seeing
Miss
Matty
look
surprised,
she
added,
“You
see,
one
would
not
like
Mrs
Jamieson
to
think
that
anything
she
could
do,
or
say,
was
of
consequence
enough
to
give
offence;
it
would
be
a
kind
of
letting
down
of
ourselves,
that
I,
for
one,
should
not
like.
It
would
be
too
flattering
to
Mrs
Jamieson
if
we
allowed
her
to
suppose
that
what
she
had
said
affected
us
a
week,
nay
ten
days
afterwards.”
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