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The Imaginary Marriage
Project Gutenberg's The Imaginary Marriage, by Henry St. John Cooper This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Imaginary Marriage
Author: Henry St. John Cooper
Release Date: February 18, 2005 [EBook #15103]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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THE IMAGINARY MARRIAGE
CHAPTER I
A MASTERFUL WOMAN
"Don't talk to me, miss," said her ladyship. "I don't want to hear any nonsense from you!"
The pretty, frightened girl who shared the drawing-room at this moment with Lady Linden of Cornbridge Manor House had not dared to open her lips. But that was her ladyship's way, and "Don't talk to me!" was a stock expression of hers. Few people were permitted to talk in her ladyship's presence. In Cornbridge they spoke of her with bated breath as a "rare masterful woman," and they had good cause.
Masterful and domineering was Lady Linden of Cornbridge, yet she was kind-hearted, though she tried to disguise the fact.
In Cornbridge she reigned supreme, men and women trembled at her approach. She penetrated the homes of the cottagers, she tasted of their foods, she rated them on uncleanliness, drun