I stayed over the next day
which was Sunday, and took my departure on the following morning after
having told Theobald all that his son wished me to tell him. Theobald
asked me to help him with Christina's epitaph.
"I would say," said he, "as little as possible; eulogies of the departed
are in most cases both unnecessary and untrue. Christina's epitaph shall
contain nothing which shall be either the one or the other. I should
give her name, the dates of her birth and death, and of course say she
was my wife, and then I think I should wind up with a simple text--her
favourite one for example, none indeed could be more appropriate,
'Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.'"
I said I thought this would be very nice, and it was settled. So Ernest
was sent to give the order to Mr Prosser, the stonemason in the nearest
town, who said it came from "the Beetitudes."
CHAPTER LXXXIV
On our way to town Ernest broached his plans for spending the next year
or two. I wanted him to try and get more into society again, but he
brushed this aside at once as the very last thing he had a fancy for. For
society indeed of all sorts, except of course that of a few intimate
friends, he had an unconquerable aversion.
Pages:
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659