Cranford

Reading Locksley Hall

On their return, Mr Holbrook insists on reading aloud the poems he has been quoting. Miss Pole ostensibly encourages him so the narrator may enjoy his fine reading, though she privately admits she wanted silence to count her crochet stitches. Miss Matty, to whom whatever he proposed would be right, falls sound asleep within five minutes of his beginning “Locksley Hall” and only wakes when he finishes. She then admires the book as “pretty,” prompting Mr Holbrook’s gentle reproof, and confusingly compares it to an unnamed poem of Dr Johnson’s.

The Return Home

As the ladies are getting into the fly to return home, Mr Holbrook mentions that he intends to call on them soon to inquire after their safe arrival—a remark that flutters Miss Matty. As the house disappears among the trees, however, her feelings turn into a distressing worry about whether Martha has seized the opportunity of her absence to entertain a “follower” at home.

Martha’s Unlucky Speech

On arriving home, Martha, who has been careful and attentive, makes the unfortunate remark that Miss Matty should not go out in the evening in such a thin shawl and should be more careful at her age. Miss Matty, unusually sharp, demands to know how old Martha thinks she is, and is stung to insist she is not yet fifty-two, though Martha has estimated her at “not far short of sixty.” The incident touches painfully on the golden youth she has been revisiting that day.

Mr Holbrook’s Farewell Visit

Miss Matty, who never speaks openly of her former intimacy with Mr Holbrook, begins wearing her best cap every day and sitting near the window to watch the street unseen. He duly calls, sitting with his hands on his widely-parted knees, head bent and whistling. Suddenly he springs up to deliver the news of his imminent departure.