"His father! a man of iron! so
everybody says; for I have made inquiries--oh!" And she was abashed. She
resumed hastily, "And that letter, so cold, so cruel! I feel it was
written by one not open to gentle influences. He does not think me worthy
of his son so accomplished, so distinguished at the very university where
our poor Edward--has--you know----"
"Little simpleton!" said Mrs. Dodd, and kissed her tenderly; "your iron
man is the commonest clay, sordid, pliable; and your stem heroic Brutus
is a shopkeeper: he is open to the gentle influences which sway the
kindred souls of the men you and I buy our shoes, our tea, our gloves,
our fish-kettles of: and these influences I think I command, and am
prepared to use them to the utmost."
Julia lay silent, and wondering what she could mean.
But Mrs. Dodd hesitated now: it pained and revolted her to show her
enthusiastic girl the world as it is. She said as much, and added-- "I
seem to be going to aid all these people to take the bloom from my own
child's innocence. Heaven help me!"
"Oh, never mind that," cried Julia in her ardent way; "give me Truth
before Error, however pleasing.
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