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257
Cranford
·
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
169
We
were
thankful,
as
Miss
Pole
desired
us
to
be,
that
we
had
never
been
married;
but
I
think,
of
the
two,
we
were
even
more
thankful
that
the
robbers
had
left
Cranford;
at
least
I
judge
so
from
a
speech
of
Miss
Matty’s
that
evening,
as
we
sat
over
the
fire,
in
which
she
evidently
looked
upon
a
husband
as
a
great
protector
against
thieves,
burglars,
and
ghosts;
and
said
that
she
did
not
think
that
she
should
dare
to
be
always
warning
young
people
against
matrimony,
as
Miss
Pole
did
continually;
to
be
sure,
marriage
was
a
risk,
as
she
saw,
now
she
had
had
some
experience;
but
she
remembered
the
time
when
she
had
looked
forward
to
being
married
as
much
as
any
one.
“Not
to
any
particular
person,
my
dear,”
said
she,
hastily
checking
herself
up,
as
if
she
were
afraid
of
having
admitted
too
much;
“only
the
old
story,
you
know,
of
ladies
always
saying,
‘When
I
marry,’
and
gentlemen,
‘If
I
marry.’”
It
was
a
joke
spoken
in
rather
a
sad
tone,
and
I
doubt
if
either
of
us
smiled;
but
I
could
not
see
Miss
Matty’s
face
by
the
flickering
fire-light.
In
a
little
while
she
continued—
“But,
after
all,
I
have
not
told
you
the
truth.
It
is
so
long
ago,
and
no
one
ever
knew
how
much
I
thought
of
it
at
the
time,
unless,
indeed,
my
dear
mother
guessed;
but
I
may
say
that
there
was
a
time
when
I
did
not
think
I
should
have
been
only
Miss
Matty
Jenkyns
all
my
life;
for
even
if
I
did
meet
with
any
one
who
wished
to
marry
me
now
(and,
as
Miss
Pole
says,
one
is
never
too
safe),
I
could
not
take
him—
I
hope
he
would
not
take
it
too
much
to
heart,
but
I
could
not
take
him—
or
any
one
but
the
person
I
once
thought
I
should
be
married
to;
and
he
is
dead
and
gone,
and
he
never
knew
how
it
all
came
about
that
I
said
‘No,’
when
I
had
thought
many
and
many
a
time—
Well,
it’s
no
matter
what
I
thought.
God
ordains
it
all,
and
I
am
very
happy,
my
dear.
No
one
has
such
kind
friends
as
I,”
continued
she,
taking
my
hand
and
holding
it
in
hers.
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