Cranford

Our Society

In the first place, Cranford is in possession of the Amazons; all the holders of houses above a certain rent are women. If a married couple come to settle in the town, somehow the gentleman disappears; he is either fairly frightened to death by being the only man in the Cranford evening parties, or he is accounted for by being with his regiment, his ship, or closely engaged in business all the week in the great neighbouring commercial town of Drumble, distant only twenty miles on a

. In short, whatever does be­come of the gen­tle­men, they are not at Cran­ford.

it was of men particularly she was afraid. They had such sharp loud ways with them; and did up accounts, and counted their change so quickly!

she distrusted her own powers of action in a new line of life, and would timidly have preferred a little more privation to any exertion for which she feared she was unfitted.

See, Mary, how a good, innocent life makes friends all around.

She almost made me angry by dividing her sympathy between these directors (whom she imagined overwhelmed by self-reproach for the mismanagement of other people’s affairs) and those who were suffering like her.

would Miss Matty sell, for filthy lucre, the knack and the skill with which she made trifles of value to those who loved her?

a certain fatigue of body (which was, in fact, depression of mind) that indisposed us to go out again.

and I thought how God had cared for mothers ever since the world was made, and would care for me

also, I daresay, desirous of proving ourselves superior to men (videlicet Mr. Hoggins) in the article of candour, we began to relate our individual fears