[A Dark Night’s Work by Elizabeth Gaskell]@TWC D-Link book
A Dark Night’s Work

CHAPTER III
17/24

But it was otherwise in -- -shire.

Everyone was up in genealogy and heraldry, and considered filching a name and a pedigree a far worse sin than any of those mentioned on the Commandments.
There were those among them who would doubt and dispute even the decision of the Heralds' College; but with it, if in his favour, Mr.Wilkins intended to be satisfied, and accordingly he wrote in reply to their letter to say, that of course he was aware such inquiries would take a considerable sum of money, but still he wished them to be made, and that speedily.
Before the end of the year he went up to London to order a brougham to be built (for Ellinor to drive out in wet weather, he said; but as going in a closed carriage always made her ill, he used it principally himself in driving to dinner-parties), with the De Winton Wilkinses' arms neatly emblazoned on panel and harness.

Hitherto he had always gone about in a dog-cart--the immediate descendant of his father's old-fashioned gig.
For all this, the squires, his employers, only laughed at him and did not treat him with one whit more respect.
Mr.Dunster, the new clerk, was a quiet, respectable-looking man; you could not call him a gentleman in manner, and yet no one could say he was vulgar.

He had not much varying expression on his face, but a permanent one of thoughtful consideration of the subject in hand, whatever it might be, that would have fitted as well with the profession of medicine as with that of law, and was quite the right look for either.

Occasionally a bright flash of sudden intelligence lightened up his deep-sunk eyes, but even this was quickly extinguished as by some inward repression, and the habitually reflective, subdued expression returned to the face.


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