Leonora - Maria Edgeworth

Скачать книгу

of raising her in your opinion. But if you criticise letters, written in openness and confidence of heart to a private friend, as if they were set before the tribunal of the public, you are—may I say it?—not only severe, but unjust; for you try and condemn the subjects of one country by the laws of another.

      Dearest mother, be half as indulgent to Olivia as you are to me: indeed you are prejudiced against her, and because you see some faults, you think her whole character vicious. But would you cut down a fine tree because a leaf is withered, or because the canker-worm has eaten into the bud? Even if a main branch were decayed, are there not remedies which, skilfully applied, can save the tree from destruction, and perhaps restore it to its pristine beauty?

      And now, having exhausted all my allusions, all my arguments, and all my little stock of eloquence, I must come to a plain matter of fact—

      Before I received your letter I had invited Lady Olivia to spend some time at L—— Castle. I fear that you will blame my precipitation, and I reproach myself for it, because I know it will give you pain. However, though you will think me imprudent, I am certain you would rather that I were imprudent than unjust. I have defended Olivia from what I believe to be unmerited censure; I have invited her to my house; she has accepted my proffered kindness; to withdraw it afterwards would be doing her irreparable injury: it would confirm all that the world can suspect: it would be saying to the censorious—I am convinced that you are right, and I deliver your victim up to you.

      Thus I should betray the person whom I undertook to defend: her confidence in me, her having but for a moment accepted my protection, would be her ruin. I could not act in so base a manner.

      Fear nothing for me, my best, but too anxious friend. I may do Lady Olivia some good; she can do me no harm. She may learn the principles which you have taught me; I can never catch from her any tastes or habits which you would disapprove. As to the rest, I hazard little or nothing. The hereditary credit which I enjoy in my maternal right enables me to assist others without injuring myself.

      Your affectionate daughter,

      Leonora.

       Table of Contents

       Table of Contents

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDAAMCAgMCAgMDAwMEAwMEBQgFBQQEBQoHBwYIDAoMDAsK CwsNDhIQDQ4RDgsLEBYQERMUFRUVDA8XGBYUGBIUFRT/2wBDAQMEBAUEBQkFBQkUDQsNFBQUFBQU FBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBT/wAARCAWgA4QDASIA AhEBAxEB/8QAHQABAQEAAgMBAQAAAAAAAAAAAQACCAkDBQcGBP/EAGMQAAEDAgQEAwQEBgoPBQUF CQEAAhEDIQQFEjEGB0FRCCJhEzJxgRVCkdEUFlKTlKEJI1RVYoKisbLBFyQzNDU3RVZydHWSlbPS GCVDRMIZNlNz8Cc4RmOF4ShkZYOjw/HT/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/EABQRAQAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/APwIgqiUaVQUCAQUQVAkLSDJkKuk7Ka0oFUQkjSQkmyD O5uqIKYshBTZAEJ3SRZATChcqgpAhAOMBIlwRcrQ2QZR1W91QgPeVMKNlDdAaZurp6rRlGkoMwkJ 1KDkFHcq2EDZVid0OENQJU5QuUFBRdQ+KY8qyAgi0FQEbK2KUEBZBEFaDtKD5jKDJBlMEhIIhE3Q EdkEHUtEwotJugDATECyIHVO/VAGYQkiEIEbJgBAN0uQAcQgWKYVpQESbIJgrewWY6oHrZRElZm4 ha+vCAfYWWfeNlt1zCJDSgIg3URKXNJM9FbIADuoEDoncqaCCbICxurSg3N1qJCAhWyoPdBBQUpJ mytNkdUEW3jookhV9SdygIkboNvVLjeEgfNBkHV8lLUx0QTKCKoso9FH3UAAeivioOhQMoEmUKUg lKSTIQDtlmPLK0sk

Скачать книгу