Cranford

Miss Jessie’s Resolve to Shield Her Sister

Upon recovering, Miss Jessie is filled with dread that her sister, already gravely ill, will learn of their father’s death. She asks Miss Jenkyns and Miss Pole not to reveal the truth, insisting that God will help her bear up. Mr. Hoggins has warned that Miss Brown cannot live many days, and Miss Jessie wishes her to be spared this final shock. They devise a story—telling Miss Brown that her father has been summoned away on railway business—while Miss Pole remains to support Miss Jessie. Mrs. Jamieson sends an inquiry, but otherwise the night passes quietly in grief.

The Fatal Accident

The next day, the county paper carries a full account of the fatal accident. Miss Jenkyns, claiming her eyes are weak, asks the narrator to read it aloud. The description of the “gallant gentleman” being “deeply engaged in the perusal of a number of ‘Pickwick’” moves Miss Jenkyns to shake her head solemnly and sigh, “Poor, dear, infatuated man!” The corpse is to be brought from the station to the parish church for interment, setting in motion Miss Jessie’s resolve about the funeral.

Miss Jessie Insists on Attending the Funeral

Miss Jessie sets her heart on following her father’s body to the grave, and no persuasion from Miss Pole or Miss Jenkyns can sway her. Her rigid self-restraint makes her almost obstinate, and at last Miss Jenkyns concedes the point. After a heavy silence that the narrator fears signals displeasure, Miss Jenkyns announces that she will accompany Miss Jessie to the funeral, declaring it would be against both propriety and humanity to let her go alone. Miss Jessie, who had longed to weep privately over her father’s grave, is too spent by her own determination to resist.