About: Peter's Mother by Mrs. Henry De La Pasture

PETER'S MOTHER

Produced by Kevin Handy, Dave Maddock, Josephine Paolucci and theOnline Distributed Proofreading Team.

PETER'S MOTHER

NEW EDITION

WITH INTRODUCTION

BY

MRS. HENRY DE LA PASTURE

1906

_And I left my youth behind For somebody else to find_.

TO THE BELOVED MEMORY OF MY ONLY BROTHER

LT. COLONEL WALTER FLOYD BONHAM, D.S.O.

TO MY AMERICAN READERS

The author of "Peter's Mother" has been bidden of the publishers, whohave incurred the responsibility of presenting her to the Americanpublic, to write a preface to this edition of her novel. She does sowith the more diffidence because it has been impressed upon her, bymore than one wiseacre, that her novels treat of a life too narrow,an atmosphere too circumscribed, to be understood or appreciated byAmerican readers.

No one can please everybody; I suppose that no one, except the old manin Aesop's Fable, ever tried to do so. But I venture to believe thatto some Americans, a sincere and truthful portrait of a typicalEnglishwoman of a certain class may prove attractive, as to us are thestudies of a "David Harum," or others whose characteristics interestbecause and not in spite of their strangeness and unfamiliarity. Wedo not recognise the type; but as those who do have acknowledged theaccuracy of the representation, we read, learn, and enjoy makingacquaintance with an individuality and surroundings foreign to our ownexperience.

There are hundreds of Englishwomen living lives as isolated, asguarded from all practical knowledge of the outer world, as entirelycircumscribed as the life of Lady Mary Crewys; though they are not allunhappy. On the contrary, many diffuse content and kindness all aroundthem, and take it for granted that their own personal wishes are of noaccount.

Indeed it would seem that some cease to be aware what their ownpersonal wishes are.

With anxious eyes fixed on others the husband, father, sons, whodominate them, they live to please, to serve, to nurse, and toconsole; revered certainly as queens of their tiny kingdoms, but alsohelpless as prisoners.

Calm, as fixed stars, they regard (perhaps sometimes a littlewistfully) the orbits of brighter planets, and the flashing ofoccasional meteors, within their ken; knowing that their own place isunchangeable immutable.

That the views of such women are often narrow, their prejudices many,their conventions tiresome, who shall deny? That their souls arepure and tender, their hearts open to kindness as are their handsto charity, nobody who knows the type will dispute. They lack manyadvantages which their more independent sisters (no less gifted withnoble and womanly qualities) enjoy, but they possess a peculiargentleness, which is all their own, whether it be adored or despised.

When one of their number happens to be cleverer, larger minded, morerestless, and impatient, it may be, by nature than her sisters,tragedy may ensue. But not often. Habit and public opinion arestrong restrainers, stronger sometimes than even the most carefullyinculcated abstract principles.

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