Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-17

Perhaps the greatest valetudinarian
in literature is Mr.. WoodEouse, pic.
tured by Jane Austen in her Emma. y
He is drawn with such light, deft
touch that only the whimsical side of
the chronic invalid reaches the reader.
Having been valetudinarian all
his life, without activity of mind or
body, he was a much older man in
ways than in years; and though every
where beloved for the friendliness of
his heart and his amiable temper, his
talents could not have recommended
him at any time" Miss Austen tells us.
He is introduced to the reader sor.
rowing over the marriage of Miss Tay-
lor. Emma's nurse, companion and
friend since childhood.
His spirits required support. He
was nervous man. easily depressed,
fond of everybody that he was used
to and hating to part with them, hat
ing change of every kind.
"Matrimory. as the origin of change,
was always disagreeable; and he was
by no means yet reconciled to his own
daughters marrying, nor could he ever
speak of her but with compassion,
though it had been entirely match
of affection, when he was now obliged
to part with Miss Taylor, too, and
from his habits of gentle selfshness
and of being never able to suppose
that other people could feel differently
from himself, he was very much dis.
posed to think that Miss Taylor had
done as sad a thing for herself as for
them and would have been a great
deal happier if she had spent all the
rest of her life at fairfield" The mar.
rative continues:
Emma smiled and chatted as cheer
fully as she could, to keep him from
such thoughts, but when tea came it
vas impossible for him not to say ex-
actly rs he had said at dinner:
Poor Miss TAYLOR! / wish she were
mere again. What a pity it is that
Mr.. Weston ever thought of herr
X X X
The dialogue that follows Is fetch.
ing:
II cannot agree with you, papa; you
know l cannot. Mr.. Weston is such a
good-humored, pleasant, excellent man
that he thoroughly deserves a good
wife; and you would not have had
Miss Taylor live with us forever, when
she might have a house all her own"
"A house of her own! But where
Is the advantage Of a house of her
own? This is three times as large
How often we shall be going to see
them, and they coming to see us, We
shall be always meeting! We must
begin; we must go and pay our we'd
ding visit very soon"
MY dear, how am I to get so far?
Randalls is such distance. 1 could
not walk half so far"
mo, papa; nobody thought Of your
walking. We must go in the carriage,
to be sure"
1.-THE carriage! But James will not
like to put the horses to for such a
little way"
Probably this was the origin Of the
Home, James" phrase. At any rate,
it shows that there is plenty Of his
torical background for it.
Mr.. Knightley calls, and Mr.. Wood
house declares:
ut is very kind of you, Mr.. Knight
ley, to come out at this late hour to
call upon us. I am afraid you must
have had a shocking walk"
Not at all, sir. It Is a beautiful
moonlight night and so mild that I
must draw back from your great fire. )"
But you must have found it very
damp and dirty. I wish you may not
catch cold"
DIRTY, sir! Look at my shoes-not
a speck on them"
"Well, that is quite surprising, for
we have had a vast deal of rain here.
1t rained dreadfully hard for half an
hour while we were at breakfast. I
wanted them to put off the wedding -
What sort of amiable fellow this
sick man was is best described by Miss
Austen, who undoubtedly drew him
from life:
"Mr. Woodhouse was fond Of society
In his own way. He liked very much