Quotation from: Villette

Written by: Charlotte Bronte


"Desiree a besoin d'une surveillance toute particuliere." Accordingly
she kept this promising olive-branch a good deal at her side. Never
once, I believe, did she tell her faithfully of her faults, explain
the evil of such habits, and show the results which must thence ensue.
Surveillance must work the whole cure. It failed of course. Desiree
was kept in some measure from the servants, but she teased and
pillaged her mamma instead. Whatever belonging to Madame's work-table
or toilet she could lay her hands on, she stole and hid. Madame saw
all this, but she still pretended not to see: she had not rectitude of
soul to confront the child with her vices. When an article disappeared
whose value rendered restitution necessary, she would profess to think
that Desiree had taken it away in play, and beg her to restore it.
Desiree was not to be so cheated: she had learned to bring falsehood
to the aid of theft, and would deny having touched the brooch, ring,
or scissors. Carrying on the hollow system, the mother would calmly
assume an air of belief, and afterwards ceaselessly watch and dog the
child till she tracked her: to her hiding-places--some hole in the
garden-wall--some chink or cranny in garret or out-house. This done,
Madame would send Desiree out for a walk with her _bonne_, and
profit by her absence to rob the robber. Desiree proved herself the
true daughter of her astute parent, by never suffering either her
countenance or manner to betray the least sign of mortification on
discovering the loss.

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Old Dominion University CS Dept
Designed by Joan A. Smith for the CRATE project
Created: 2007-2-22T12:35:29Z
Part of the CratePreservation Project
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Part of a series of experiments in web preservation under the direction of Michael L. Nelson, Ph.D.