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Cranford
·
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
18
Miss
Pole
and
Miss
Jessie
Brown
had
set
up
a
kind
of
intimacy
on
the
strength
of
the
Shetland
wool
and
the
new
knitting
stitches;
so
it
happened
that
when
I
went
to
visit
Miss
Pole
I
saw
more
of
the
Browns
than
I
had
done
while
staying
with
Miss
Jenkyns,
who
had
never
got
over
what
she
called
Captain
Brown’s
disparaging
remarks
upon
Dr
Johnson
as
a
writer
of
light
and
agreeable
fiction.
I
found
that
Miss
Brown
was
seriously
ill
of
some
lingering,
incurable
complaint,
the
pain
occasioned
by
which
gave
the
uneasy
expression
to
her
face
that
I
had
taken
for
unmitigated
crossness.
Cross,
too,
she
was
at
times,
when
the
nervous
irritability
occasioned
by
her
disease
became
past
endurance.
Miss
Jessie
bore
with
her
at
these
times,
even
more
patiently
than
she
did
with
the
bitter
self-upbraidings
by
which
they
were
invariably
succeeded.
Miss
Brown
used
to
accuse
herself,
not
merely
of
hasty
and
irritable
temper,
but
also
of
being
the
cause
why
her
father
and
sister
were
obliged
to
pinch,
in
order
to
allow
her
the
small
luxuries
which
were
necessaries
in
her
condition.
She
would
so
fain
have
made
sacrifices
for
them,
and
have
lightened
their
cares,
that
the
original
generosity
of
her
disposition
added
acerbity
to
her
temper.
All
this
was
borne
by
Miss
Jessie
and
her
father
with
more
than
placidity—
with
absolute
tenderness.
I
forgave
Miss
Jessie
her
singing
out
of
tune,
and
her
juvenility
of
dress,
when
I
saw
her
at
home.
I
came
to
perceive
that
Captain
Brown’s
dark
Brutus
wig
and
padded
coat
(alas!
too
often
threadbare)
were
remnants
of
the
military
smartness
of
his
youth,
which
he
now
wore
unconsciously.
He
was
a
man
of
infinite
resources,
gained
in
his
barrack
experience.
As
he
confessed,
no
one
could
black
his
boots
to
please
him
except
himself;
but,
indeed,
he
was
not
above
saving
the
little
maid-servant’s
labours
in
every
way—
knowing,
most
likely,
that
his
daughter’s
illness
made
the
place
a
hard
one.
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