I suppose all these inquiries of mine, and the consequent curiosity
excited in the minds of my friends, made us blind and deaf to what
was going on around us. It seemed to me as if the sun rose and
shone, and as if the rain rained on Cranford, just as usual, and I
did not notice any sign of the times that could be considered as a
prognostic of any uncommon event; and, to the best of my belief,
not only Miss Matty and Mrs Forrester, but even Miss Pole herself,
whom we looked upon as a kind of prophetess, from the knack she had
of foreseeing things before they came to pass--although she did not
like to disturb her friends by telling them her foreknowledge--even
Miss Pole herself was breathless with astonishment when she came to
tell us of the astounding piece of news. But I must recover
myself; the contemplation of it, even at this distance of time, has
taken away my breath and my grammar, and unless I subdue my
emotion, my spelling will go too.
We were sitting--Miss Matty and I--much as usual, she in the blue
chintz easy-chair, with her back to the light, and her knitting in
her hand, I reading aloud the St James's Chronicle. A few minutes
more, and we should have gone to make the little alterations in
dress usual before calling-time (twelve o'clock) in Cranford.
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