Quotation from: Villette

Written by: Charlotte Bronte


Baffled--almost angry--he still clung to his fixed idea; my
susceptibilities were pronounced marble--my face a mask. It appeared
as if he could not be brought to accept the homely truth, and take me
for what I was: men, and women too, must have delusion of some sort;
if not made ready to their hand, they will invent exaggeration for
themselves.


At moments I _did_ wish that his suspicions had been better
founded. There were times when I would have given my right hand to
possess the treasures he ascribed to me. He deserved condign
punishment for his testy crotchets. I could have gloried in bringing
home to him his worst apprehensions astoundingly realized. I could
have exulted to burst on his vision, confront and confound his
"lunettes," one blaze of acquirements. Oh! why did nobody undertake to
make me clever while I was young enough to learn, that I might, by one
grand, sudden, inhuman revelation--one cold, cruel, overwhelming
triumph--have for ever crushed the mocking spirit out of Paul Carl
David Emanuel!

PREVIOUS GROUP HOME SITE HOME NEXT
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
Change Tag: ~~ 0 ~~
Part of a series of experiments in web preservation under the direction of Michael L. Nelson, Ph.D.