The Essential Reads

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell chapter 28 "Comfort in Sorrow" narrated by Isaac BirchallSubscribe on YT or Join the Book Club on KO-FI and support me as an independent creator :D⁠https://ko-fi.com/theessentialreads⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfOFfvo05ElM96CmfsGsu3g/join⁠Summary:Margaret goes to the Higgins’ house to see Bessy’s body. She is glad that she came. Bessy, whose face was so often tormented by pain, is finally at peace. Margaret is calm but deeply affected by the scene. Downstairs, they come down and see Mr. Higgins, where he looks wild, and like he is struggling to process the news he has heard. He asks Margaret if she was with her when she died. Then asks if she really has died, or has just fainted, like at previous times. Margaret thinks that he has been drinking a little. He breaks down into tears and hurls himself onto the table, which shakes under his wails. Mary goes to him, but she is shoved away by her father. After he calms a little, he makes his way to the door. Mary goes to stop him, proclaiming that Bessy’s last words were to keep their father from drink. Margaret steps in front of the door, not moving a muscle, and standing her ground. At last, Higgins gives in. Margaret asks him to come upstairs and see his daughter, and though uncertain, he goes. Following this, Margaret asks him to come and have tea with her father. They go to the Hale residence. Mr. Higgins suggests that he should have washed himself and while Margaret agrees, she doesn’t want to leave him alone, where he could sneak off to a Gin House. Margaret runs in first to warn her father, and though he is very concerned after all Margaret had said about the man, he consents to sit with him. Margaret goes to her mother. Mrs. Hale is very worried about the letter that Margaret sent to Frederick. She is worried that he will be captured if he comes to England. Margaret, and especially Dixon, manage to calm her down though, Dixon stating that she was thinking of writing to him anyway. Once properly calmed, Margaret goes to sit with her father and Mr. Higgins. Her father and Mr. Higgins are engaged in a deep conversation, which only breaks for Mr. Hale to give his daughter a chair. They talk deeply about religion and politics, and Mr. Hale tells Higgins that he has no goal to convince him today, or tomorrow, but believes that the truth will come out over time. The conversation gets a little heated, but Margaret very gently calms him with soothing words. Eventually, the conversation moves onto the strike, which Higgins says has failed. The riot caused the strike to fail, which made Higgins incredibly angry at Boucher and his like. Margaret asks him questions about the Union, and states that she feels that the Union can be just as worse as the Masters, but she understands the need to for one. Before Higgins goes home, Home as Margaret verified, Mr. Hale asks Higgins to pray with them. SEO stuff I don't want to do. Elizabeth Gaskell's classic, "North and South" sees Margaret Hale's live uprooted as her family moves to the north of England. Initially disgusted by the ugliness of the industrial town of Milton, Margaret develops a strong sense of social justice after seeing the poverty and suffering of local mill workers.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell chapter 27 "Fruit-Piece", narrated by Isaac BirchallSubscribe on YT or Join the Book Club on Patreon and support me as an independent creator :D⁠https://ko-fi.com/theessentialreads⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfOFfvo05ElM96CmfsGsu3g/join⁠Summary:The following day, Mr Thornton goes about all of his business deals with great skill and vivacity. Many of the other magistrates and mill owners make statements about “not being able to do it without him.” His mother is very proud to hear how highly these men praise him. He saw with the police and arranged the next steps. In the street he bumps into Dr. Donaldson while absorbed in his own thoughts. They exchange a little about business, which brings the Doctor to thank him for bringing him the Hale family’s business. He goes on to say that Mrs. Hale only has a few weeks left to live. This, in spite of what happened the previous day, causes him to ask the Doctor what he can do for Mrs. Hale. The Doctor says that there isn’t much to do for her, but he heard her say that she wants fruit. They say goodbye to each other and Mr. Thornton goes straight to the nearest fruit shop in Milton and gets a full basket of fruit. He carries the basket himself instead getting it delivered, which causes many people to stare after him, the Milton manufacturer, working as a porter. He goes to the Hale residence and carries the full basket to where Mrs. Hale is laying. He tries to only look at the sick woman and her husband, but he feels Margaret’s presence every second. The family are incredibly grateful for his actions, but before they can get some plates to share the fruit with him too, he excuses himself and leaves the family. The fruit is delicious and Mrs. Hale scolds her daughter for her attitude towards Mr. Thornton, unable to understand how she can dislike someone as kind as he. Mr. Hale likens the fruit to the ones they ate at Helston and Margaret feels nostalgic for her old life. Margaret goes up to her room perplexed and full of strange emotions where she finds Dixon rummaging through her drawers. Dixon doesn’t respond to Margaret asking her what she is doing and just continues to search through the drawers. When she finally finds what she is looking for and hides it from her mistress, Margaret gets fed up. Dixon gives in and tells her that she was only trying to protect her, but that Bessy Higgins died that morning. Apparently, her sister is downstairs and asking if it would be possible, per Bessy’s last request, to have something of Margaret’s to be buried in. The girl is asking too if Margaret would like to see Bessy before the funeral, which Dixon refused. They go to the kitchen to see Mary, where the sister breaks down in tears, slowly revealing what happened that morning. After her conversation with Mary, Margaret agrees to go and see Bessy after dinner time. SEO stuff I don't want to do. Elizabeth Gaskell's classic, "North and South" sees Margaret Hale's live uprooted as her family moves to the north of England. Initially disgusted by the ugliness of the industrial town of Milton, Margaret develops a strong sense of social justice after seeing the poverty and suffering of local mill workers.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell chapter 26 "Mother and Son", narrated by Isaac BirchallSubscribe on YT or Join the Book Club on Patreon and support me as an independent creator :D⁠https://ko-fi.com/theessentialreads⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfOFfvo05ElM96CmfsGsu3g/join⁠Summary:Mr. Thornton leaves the house dizzy, almost as if Margaret had punched him. He has a headache and bodily pain. In spite of what Margaret said to him, he resolves himself to go on and continue loving her. A bus passes by and stops, believing that he hailed it, and he decides to get on it and is taken away into countryside and to a small town. He wanders around into the fields and thinks through every detail of the proposal. He believes that he was bewitched by her when she put her arms around him. He doesn’t understand Margaret. It was late in the afternoon when he got back to Milton, and he had so much work to do following the riots, and encounter his mother…Mrs. Thornton has been in the dining room all day, constantly expecting her son to run in and declare that Margaret accepted his proposal, but each time the door opened, it was always a maid, or a worker. She tries to distract herself by going through the linins so that she can give them to the betrothed for their new house and picks out some delicate pieces. She is jealous of Margaret and doesn’t know how to feel, and she feels a pang of pain at the loss of her son. Mrs. Thornton thinks that if Margaret came from Milton, without her southern prejudice, then she would probably like her. She tries to distract herself further with a book and soon hears her son foot on the step. He comes in and stands near his mother while she finished her paragraph. He tries to steel himself against her “Well, John?” but when he leans in to kiss her and say that “no one loves me” his emotions take control of him. She tells him that a mother’s love is forever, but a girls love changes with every wind. Mr. Thornton tells her that he is not fit for Margaret, and that he knew it. His mother curses the girl, but feels lighter, knowing that her son is hers again. He replies that he doesn’t want to hear a word against Margaret and he really loves her. Mrs. Thornton say that she hates the girl. Mr. Thornton rallies himself a little and distracts himself and his mother by talking of the work to come following the riot of the previous day. SEO stuff I don't want to do. Elizabeth Gaskell's classic, "North and South" sees Margaret Hale's live uprooted as her family moves to the north of England. Initially disgusted by the ugliness of the industrial town of Milton, Margaret develops a strong sense of social justice after seeing the poverty and suffering of local mill workers.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell chapter 25 "Frederick", narrated by Isaac BirchallSubscribe on YT or Join the Book Club on Patreon and support me as an independent creator :D⁠https://ko-fi.com/theessentialreads⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfOFfvo05ElM96CmfsGsu3g/join⁠Summary:Margaret reflects on her relationship with Mr. Henry Lennox and is at least relieved that he seemed only to have a lapse of judgement. With Mr. Thornton, they never had a stage of friendship. She truly cannot understand his feelings and feels even stranger about his statement of continuing his love for her in spite of her refusal. She tries to hide from the idea, but she cannot get it out of her mind. She stays in the room where he left her for a while. All is quiet in the house. Margaret refuses to be alone and decides that she should go to see Bessy Higgins. Bessy is lying by the fireplace, and Margaret sits the girl up so she can be more at ease. She is much worse, and Margaret excuses herself for not coming the previous day, almost letting slip that she was at the Thornton residence. Margaret goes to read her a chapter of the bible, but Bessy is restless and the bursts out with some talk about the riots. It seems that her father wasn’t at the riots, and that the union told everyone that no matter what happens, they should not resort to violence, it would make everyone’s problems much worse and works against the strikers. Mr. Higgins went to Boucher’s the night before, as he was an instigator of the violence, and told him that he would be turned over to the police and the mill owners for his actions. Margaret corrects Bessy and tells her that Boucher was not the first person to react, letting slip that she was at the Mill. Boucher apparently punched her father and ran away, causing Bessy to throw herself at her father’s feet and beg him not to go. After Bessy gets this information off of her chest, she is a lot calmer and receptive to hearing a chapter of the bible. At home, Margaret finds her mother awake and full of praise for the waterbed. She says that it is the best bed she has slept on since she was staying at the Beresford residence. She wonders how it is that people have forgotten how to make comfortable beds. She asks Margaret if she remembers them, to which her daughter replies that she never was at the Beresford residence. He mother remembers that it must have been Frederick and she goes on to talk about her exiled son, causing Mr. Hale to leave the room. Margaret then asks her mother more about her brother, and Mrs. Hale starts to cry and begs Margaret to write to him, feeling deep down, that if she were to see her son, then she would be healed of her malady. Margaret writes to him that day, and takes the letter to the post office herself. SEO stuff I don't want to do. Elizabeth Gaskell's classic, "North and South" sees Margaret Hale's live uprooted as her family moves to the north of England. Initially disgusted by the ugliness of the industrial town of Milton, Margaret develops a strong sense of social justice after seeing the poverty and suffering of local mill workers.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell chapter 24 "Mistakes Cleared Up", narrated by Isaac BirchallSubscribe on YT or Join the Book Club on Patreon and support me as an independent creator :D⁠https://ko-fi.com/theessentialreads⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfOFfvo05ElM96CmfsGsu3g/join⁠Summary:The following morning Margaret wakes up. She is by no means rested, but at least her mother only woke up once in the night. A light breeze is starting to blow, and Margaret is calmed and brightened by the thought of what a forest would look like in these conditions. She goes to sit with her mother while she is still sleeping and plans to go and see Bessy Higgins after dinner. Dixon comes in and tells her quietly that Mr. Thornton has come to visit and has asked for her. Reluctantly, Margaret goes downstairs.Mr. Thornton is anxiously waiting downstairs for Margaret. He thinks of her arms around his neck and is impatient for her to see him. He has no self-control left and needs to see her and hopes that she would fall into his arms. He does not know how she will receive his declaration. He fears a rejection and refuses to think of it. Margaret arrives and he takes in her complexion. She looks very tired, but that is normal after the blow she has received. Thornton steps forward and shuts the door behind her. Eventually he starts to talk, he excuses his ungratefulness the previous day, and Margaret shuts him down, saying that he has nothing to excuse himself for and says that she should excuse herself for forcing him to go down to the crowd. Margaret says that she will accept his thanks if he really believes it necessary. Thornton replies that he feels no obligation to but that he wants to thank her and finally declares his love for her.She responds icily to his declaration, saying that she is shocked by his words and does not understand it. She is offended by him and clarifies that her actions yesterday were not a declaration of love, and that a gentleman would understand that. He retorts that he is not a gentleman but a man and claims a right to express himself. With tears in her eyes she goes to say that of the whole crowd, Thornton was the person that she cared for the least and only went to him because he was alone, while they were many. He goes to say that she is unfair and just because he is a Master he doesn’t have a right to suffer. While he could have defended himself further, he know that he could have thrown himself at her feet to ask for forgiveness. He collects his things and says one last thing before he goes, that he has never loved anyone before, and that he will continue to love her. Margaret thanks him for his kindness to her father and leaves him to go.SEO stuff I don't want to do. Elizabeth Gaskell's classic, "North and South" sees Margaret Hale's live uprooted as her family moves to the north of England. Initially disgusted by the ugliness of the industrial town of Milton, Margaret develops a strong sense of social justice after seeing the poverty and suffering of local mill workers.