“That really is too much for one to swallow”.
Fred Devonshire, “a tall, heavy young man, elaborately and correctly dressed,” with “a famous, good-natured, pink and white face” stood in the middle of the room. “Oh, come now, Miss Lucy,” he was heard to say, as Gertrude entered with Conny, “that really is too much for one to swallow.” Fred couldn’t believe that those young women were going to open a shop! “Assured that there really was some truth in what he had been told,” Fred “relapsed into an amazed silence,” disturbed only by “an occasional chuckle,” which he did his best to “subdue,” considering it “out of place in a house of mourning.” He was a man of his time and the mere thought of women taking over family business seemed ridiculous to him.
“Oh, Gertrude, need it to come to that – to open a shop?”
Gertrude thought that they all were better “to keep together.” It would be a great risk “to open a shop,” but even if they failed they should be very little worse off than before. Though the majority supported her, Gertrude sensed what Fanny thought of it. “Oh, Gertrude, need it to come to that – open a shop?” asked she, “aghast.” Lucy stated that Fanny was “behind the age,” for it was “distinguished to keep a shop.” However, it wasn’t what Fanny was worried about. She knew that people would talk behind their backs, that such a reckless action could prevent her sisters from getting married. The problem was that no one was really interested in what she had to say.
“You can none of you afford to be seen looking shabby.”
Aunt Caroline wasn’t fond of the modern views on women’s role and place in the society. Those liberal ideas were nonsense that only either completely young and inexperienced or witless people could believe in. She knew that her nieces were very poor and she even pitied them, but she couldn’t understand why they behaved so carelessly. None of them was “married!” However, some of them were still young and pretty attractive to find good husbands, thus save themselves from poverty. The problem was that they didn’t even try to do it. They all looked so “shabby” to find a good catch. Aunt Caroline thought they would never be able to earn their own money, not to mention that it was a rather inappropriate and disgraceful thing to do for respectable ladies like her nieces.
