Page:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (emended first edition), Volume 1.djvu/55

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
OF WILDFELL HALL.
43

with her, and on my mother's expressing surprise that he could walk so far, she replied,—

"It is a long walk for him; but I must have either taken him with me, or relinquished the visit altogether: for I never leave him alone; and I think, Mrs. Markham, I must beg you to make my excuses to the Millwards and Mrs. Wilson, when you see them, as I fear I cannot do myself the pleasure of calling upon them till my little Arthur is able to accompany me."

"But you have a servant," said Rose; "could you not leave him with her?"

"She has her own occupations to attend to; and besides, she is too old to run after a child, and he is too mercurial to be tied to an elderly woman."

"But you left him to come to church."

"Yes, once; but I would not have left him for any other purpose; and I think, in future, I must contrive to bring him with me, or stay at home."