Elsie was not bringing up her daughters to consider marriage the chief end
of woman; she had, indeed, said scarcely anything on the subject till her
eldest was of an age to begin to mix a little in general society; then she
talked quietly and seriously to them of the duties and responsibilities of
the married state and the vast importance of making a wise choice in
selecting a partner for life.
In their childhood she had never allowed them to be teased about beaux.
She could not prevent their hearing, occasionally, something of the kind,
but she did her best to counteract the evil influence, and had succeeded
so well in that, and in making home a delight, that her children one and
all, shunned the thought of leaving it, and her girls were as easy and
free from self-consciousness in the society of gentlemen as in that of
ladies; never bold or forward; there was nothing in their manner that
could give the slightest encouragement to undue familiarity.
And then both she and their father had so entwined themselves about the
hearts of their offspring, that all shared the feeling expressed by
Violet, and truly believed that nothing less than death could ever
separate them from these beloved parents.
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