Victorians! discussion

Resist it as firmly, despise it as proudly as we may, all studied unkindness—no matter how contemptible it may be—has a stinging power in it which reaches to the quick. Magdalen only knew how she had felt the small malice of the female servants, by the effect which the rough kindness of the old sailor produced on her afterward.

Well, I did not see that coming and wondered why Maezy would sleep in front of the admiral's door. Interesting and creepy that Collins included sleep walking. Of course, it was easy to see that Maezy would trap Magdalen. I was not surprised that he let her go, but now fear what Magdalen's next step will be.

She seems to have run out of options. Where will she go? How will she survive?

At this point, I'm really worried for her. I don't see where else she has to turn. And her energies are clearly deserting her. Poor thing.

At this point, I have to think of suicide. She has absolutely no where to turn. How dreadfully sad!

There was that moment when she was looking for her keys where I thought, she's going to get sick. And then when she left without any of her belongings... nothing at all to live on. I figured that couldn't be good.

When it mentioned Mazey sleeping on the floor outside of the room I had a feeling it had something to do with guarding the letter, though I did not know it would turn out quite like that.

I have to say on the one hand I found the Admiral's extreme paranoia over the letter to be quite amusing, though it turned out not to be altogether unjustified.

I loved the character of Mazey.

In regards to Magdalen, though it seems her nerves are starting to unravel, I could not believe how careless she had been. As soon as she had the letter in her possession, she should have instantly went back to her own room. I could not believe, the whole time she was standing there reading, particularly after she noticed that the trundle bed was empty, and so she knew Mazey was up somewhere. The whole time she was standing there reading the letter, I kept thinking, go back to your own room and than read it.

Yeah, not the smartest decision on her part. I guess she was just so single mindedly focussed on getting it she was no longer thinking straight.

I like Mazey, too. But in hindsight I wonder if he knew just how much of an unkindness it was to send her off without anything. Of course it might have been far worse had he let the Admiral deal with her, I don't know. And of course this is useless speculating, but I'm not entirely certain the mercy he showed her turned out to be all that merciful. Not sure it wasn't. Just not sure it was.

V.r. wrote: "Yeah, not the smartest decision on her part. I guess she was just so single mindedly focussed on getting it she was no longer thinking straight.

I like Mazey, too. But in hindsight I wonder if he..."

I cannot say I really blame Mazey for that, as he can hardly be expected to completely betray the Admiral his long time friend, by covering up for a woman who is a stranger to him and simply not saying anything about what she did.

And Magdalen was given a choice, she could have rejected Mazey's offer, he did not force her to leave, or throw her out. So Magdalen did choose her own fate. She could have stayed and tried her luck on the Admiral's mercy. And it was her own actions that placed her in that position to start with.

Yeah, I know. It just occurred to me afterward that her having her things would have helped her somewhat. But you're right.