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257
Cranford
·
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
234
About
a
year
after
Miss
Matty
set
up
shop,
I
received
one
of
Martha’s
hieroglyphics,
begging
me
to
come
to
Cranford
very
soon.
I
was
afraid
that
Miss
Matty
was
ill,
and
went
off
that
very
afternoon,
and
took
Martha
by
surprise
when
she
saw
me
on
opening
the
door.
We
went
into
the
kitchen
as
usual,
to
have
our
confidential
conference,
and
then
Martha
told
me
she
was
expecting
her
confinement
very
soon—
in
a
week
or
two;
and
she
did
not
think
Miss
Matty
was
aware
of
it,
and
she
wanted
me
to
break
the
news
to
her,
“for
indeed,
miss,”
continued
Martha,
crying
hysterically,
“I’m
afraid
she
won’t
approve
of
it,
and
I’m
sure
I
don’t
know
who
is
to
take
care
of
her
as
she
should
be
taken
care
of
when
I
am
laid
up.”
I
comforted
Martha
by
telling
her
I
would
remain
till
she
was
about
again,
and
only
wished
she
had
told
me
her
reason
for
this
sudden
summons,
as
then
I
would
have
brought
the
requisite
stock
of
clothes.
But
Martha
was
so
tearful
and
tender-spirited,
and
unlike
her
usual
self,
that
I
said
as
little
as
possible
about
myself,
and
endeavoured
rather
to
comfort
Martha
under
all
the
probable
and
possible
misfortunes
which
came
crowding
upon
her
imagination.
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