CHAPTER XXII.
MRS. REDMAIN.
In the autumn the Redmains went to Durnmelling: why they did so,
I should find it hard to say. If, when a child, Hesper loved
either of her parents, the experiences of later years had so
heaped that filial affection with the fallen leaves of dead hopes
and vanished dreams, that there was now nothing in her heart
recognizable to herself as love to father or mother. She always
behaved to them, of course, with perfect propriety; never refused
any small request; never showed resentment when blamed--never
felt any, for she did not care enough to be angry or sorry that
father or mother should disapprove.
On the other hand, Lady Margaret saw great improvement in her
daughter. To the maternal eye, jealous for perfection, Hesper's
carriage was at length satisfactory. It was cold, and the same to
her mother as to every one else, but the mother did not find it
too cold. It was haughty, even repellent, but by no means in the
mother's eyes repulsive. Her voice came from her in well-balanced
sentences, sounding as if they had been secretly constructed for
extempore use, like the points of a parliamentary orator.
"Marriage has done everything for her!" said Lady Malice to
herself with a dignified chuckle, and dismissed the last shadowy
remnant of maternal regret for her part in the transaction of her
marriage.
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