The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hilda Lessways, by Arnold Bennett

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Title: Hilda Lessways

Author: Arnold Bennett

Release Date: January 9, 2004 [EBook #10658]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HILDA LESSWAYS ***

Produced by John Hagerson, Kevin Handy and PG Distributed Proofreaders

HILDA LESSWAYS

BY ARNOLD BENNETT

1911

CONTENTS

BOOK I
HER START IN LIFE

I AN EVENT IN MR. SKELLORN'S LIFE
II THE END OF THE SCENE
III MR. CANNON
IV DOMESTICITY INVADED
V MRS. LESSWAYS' SHREWDNESS
VI VICTOR HUGO AND ISAAC PITMAN
VII THE EDITORIAL SECRETARY
VIII JANET ORGREAVE
IX IN THE STREET
X MISS GAILEY IN DECLENSION
XI DISILLUSION
XII THE TELEGRAM
XIII HILDA'S WORLD
XIV TO LONDON

BOOK II
HER RECOVERY

I SIN
II THE LITTLE ROOM
III JOURNEY TO BLEAKRIDGE
IV WITH THE ORGREAVES
V EDWIN CLAYHANGER
VI IN THE GARDEN
VII THE NEXT MEETING

BOOK III
HER BURDEN

I HILDA INDISPENSABLE
II SARAH'S BENEFACTOR
III AT BRIGHTON
IV THE SEA

BOOK IV
HER FALL

I THE GOING CONCERN
II THE UNKNOWN ADVENTURE
III FLORRIE AGAIN

BOOK V
HER DELIVERANCE

I LOUISA UNCONTROLLED
II SOME SECRET HISTORY

BOOK VI
HER PUNISHMENT

I EVENING AT BLEAKRIDGE
II A RENDEZVOUS
III AT THE WORKS
IV THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON
V THURSDAY AFTERNOON
VI MISCHANCE

* * * * *

BOOK I
HER START IN LIFE

CHAPTER I
AN EVENT IN MR. SKELLORN'S LIFE

I

The Lessways household, consisting of Hilda and her widowed mother, was
temporarily without a servant. Hilda hated domestic work, and because
she hated it she often did it passionately and thoroughly. That
afternoon, as she emerged from the kitchen, her dark, defiant face was
full of grim satisfaction in the fact that she had left a kitchen
polished and irreproachable, a kitchen without the slightest indication
that it ever had been or ever would be used for preparing human nature's
daily food; a show kitchen. Even the apron which she had worn was hung
in concealment behind the scullery door. The lobby clock