All About the Marsdens Author:Waller General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1865 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER III. "So your cousins have come, Bessy," said the Reverend Charles Marsden, the Rector of Marsden, as, late this same June afternoon, he entered the pretty drawing-room of his comfortable rectory, where sat his wife and daughter. " I was in the village as the carriage passed, and just got a glimpse of one bright face, and another graver one, that reminded me of your uncle Fred. We must go to-morrow and make their acquaintance." - " I remember Madeline six years ago, papa," replied his daughter. " We were great friends in those days, for she would not make a companion of Julia, and the others were in the nursery." " But six years is a long time at your ages, my dear," remarked Mrs. Marsden. " Do not expectto find Madeline what she was. If you could see yourself, Bessy, as you were then, you would be rather surprised." " I am afraid so, mamma," said Bessy earnestly. " I ought to be better now than I was then, for few have had such privileges in every way." " Many have them, I fear, my dear," was the reply, " but fail to make use of them. Can anyone in this our favoured Christian land, that is, of our rank, plead ignorance as an excuse for sin and folly?" " They ought not, even if they do," said Mr. Marsden. " But none are so blind as those who will not see. Our Lord well knew the truth of this, with such striking examples before him as the Pharisees of His day." " And you believe, I know, Charles, that we have plenty of the old Jewish leaven amongst us yet," observed his wife. "And will have, while the Church is still militant against the social and moral evils and conventionalities of th...« less