Now, the ladies being together under these circumstances, it was extremely natural that the discourse should turn upon the propensity of mankind to tyrannise over the weaker sex, and the duty that devolved upon the weaker sex to resist that tyranny and assert their rights and dignity. It was natural for four reasons; firstly because Mrs. Quilp being a young woman and notoriously under the dominion of her husband ought to be excited to rebel, secondly because Mrs. Quilp’s parent was known to be laudably shrewish in her disposition and inclined to resist male authority, thirdly because each visitor wished to show for herself how superior she was in this respect to the generality of her sex, and fourthly because the company being accustomed to scandalise each other in pairs were deprived of their usual subject of conversation now that they were all assembled in close friendship, and had consequently no better employment than to attack the common enemy.
Moved by these considerations, a stout lady opened the proceedings by inquiring, with an air of great concern and sympathy, how Mr. Quilp was; whereunto Mr. Quilp’s wife’s mother replied sharply, “Oh! he was well enough—nothing much was ever the matter with him—and ill weeds were sure to thrive.” All the ladies then sighed in concert, shook their heads gravely, and looked at Mrs. Quilp as at a martyr.
“Ah!” said the spokeswoman, “I wish you’d give her a little of your advice Mrs. Jiniwin”—Mrs. Quilp had been a Miss Jiniwin it should be observed—“nobody knows better than you Ma’am what us women owe to ourselves.”
“Owe indeed, Ma’am!” replied Mrs. Jiniwin. “When my poor husband, her dear father, was alive, if he had ever ventur’d a cross word to me, I’d have—” the good old lady did not finish the sentence, but she twisted off the head of a shrimp with a vindictiveness which seemed to imply that the action was in some degree a substitute for words. In this light it was clearly understood by the other party who immediately replied with great approbation “You quite enter into my feelings Ma’am, and it’s jist what I’d do myself.”
“But you have no call to do it,” said Mrs. Jiniwin. “Luckily for you, you have no more occasion to do it than I had.”
“No woman need have, if she was true to herself,” rejoined the stout lady.
“Do you hear that Betsy?” said Mrs. Jiniwin, in a warning voice. “How often have I said the very same words to you, and almost gone down on my knees when I spoke ’em!”
Poor Mrs. Quilp, who had looked in a state of helplessness from one face of condolence to another, coloured, smiled, and shook her head doubtfully. This was the signal for a general clamour, which beginning in a low murmur gradually swelled into a great noise in which everybody spoke at once, and all said that she being a young woman had no right to set up her opinions against the experiences of those who knew so much better; that it was very wrong of her not to take the advice of people who had nothing at heart but her good; that it was next door to being downright ungrateful to conduct herself in that manner; that if she had no respect for herself she ought to have some for other women all of whom she compromised by her meekness; and that if she had no respect for other women, the time would come when other women would have no respect for her, and she would be very sorry for that, they could tell her. Having dealt out these admonitions, the ladies fell to a more powerful assault than they had yet made upon the mixed tea, new bread, fresh butter, shrimps, and water-cresses, and said that their vexation was so great to see her going on like that, that they could hardly bring themselves to eat a single morsel.
“It’s all very fine to talk,” said Mrs. Quilp with much simplicity, “but I know that if I was to die tomorrow, Quilp could marry anybody he pleased—now that he could, I know!”
There was quite a scream of indignation at this idea. Marry whom he pleased! They would like to see him dare to think of marrying any of them; they would like to see the faintest approach to such a thing. One lady (a widow) was quite certain she should stab him if he hinted at it.
“Very well,” said Mrs. Quilp, nodding her head, “as I said just now, it’s very easy to talk, but I say again that I know—that I’m sure—Quilp has such a way with him when he likes, that the best-looking woman here couldn’t refuse him if I was dead, and she was free, and he chose to make love to her. Come!”
Everybody bridled up at this remark, as much as to say “I know you mean me. Let him try—that’s all.” And yet for some hidden reason they were all angry with the widow, and each lady whispered in her neighbour’s ear that it was very plain the said widow thought herself the person referred to, and what a puss she was!
“Mother knows,” said Mrs. Quilp, “that what I say is quite correct, for she often said so before we were married. Didn’t you say so mother?”
This inquiry involved the respected lady in rather a delicate position, for she
