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ADVRTISMNT BÎ Ɖ OƮ̇RES,
ƉS litl wrc wz finiśt in ɖ yir 1803, n intndd fr imījt pubḷceśn. It wz dspozd v t a bcselr, it wz īvn advtîzd, n ẃ ɖ biznis pṛsidd no farɖr, ɖ oʈr hz nvr bn ebl t lrn. Ɖt eni bcselr śd ʈnc it wrʈẃl t prćs ẃt h dd nt ʈnc it wrʈẃl t publiś sīmz xtrordnri. Bt wɖ ɖs, nɖr ɖ oʈr nr ɖ public hv eni uɖr cnsrn ɖn az sm obzveśn z nesṣri upn ɖoz parts v ɖ wrc ẃć ʈrtīn yirz hv md cmpaṛtivli obṣlīt. Ɖ public r intritd t ber in mînd ɖt ʈrtīn yirz hv pást sins it wz finiśt, mni mor sins it wz bgun, n ɖt jrñ ɖt pirịd, plesz, manrz, bcs, n opińnz hv unḍgn cnsidṛbl ćenjz.
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ĆAPTR 1
Nwn hu hd evr sìn Caʈrin Morḷnd in hr inf̣nsi wd hv s’pozd hr born t b an herǒin. Hr sićueśn in lîf, ɖ caṛctr v hr faɖr n muɖr, hr ǒn prsn n disṗziśn, wr ol īqli agnst hr. Hr faɖr wz a clrjimn, wɖǎt biyñ nglectd, or pur, n a vri rspctbl man, ɖo hiz nem wz Rićd—n h hd nvr bn hansm. H hd a cnsidṛbl indpndns bsdz tū gd livñz—n h wz nt in ɖ līst adictd t locñ p hiz dōtrz. Hr muɖr wz a wmn v ysfl plen sns, wɖ a gd tmpr, n, ẃt z mor rmarcbl, wɖ a gd consttyśn. Ś hd ʈri sunz bfr Caʈrin wz born; n instd v dayñ in brññ ɖ latr intu ɖ wrld, az enbdi mt xpct, ś stl livd on—livd t hv six ćildṛn mor—t si ɖm growñ p arnd hr, n t injô xḷnt hlʈ hrslf. A faṃli v ten ćildṛn wl b olwz cōld a fîn faṃli, ẃr ɖr r hedz n armz n legz inuf fr ɖ numbr; bt ɖ Morḷndz hd litl uɖr rît t ɖ wrd, fr ɖe wr in jenṛl vri plen, n Caʈrin, fr mni yirz v hr lîf, az plen az eni. Ś hd a ʈin ōcẉd figr, a salo scin wɖǎt culr, darc lanc her, n stroñ fīćrz—so mć fr hr prsn; n nt les unpṛpiśs fr herǒizm sīmd hr mînd. Ś wz fond v ol bôz’ plez, n gretli prifŕd cricit nt mirli t dolz, bt t ɖ mor hrǒic injômnts v inf̣nsi, nrsñ a dormǎs, fīdñ a c’nẹribrd, or wōṭrñ a rǒz-bś. Indd ś hd no test fr a gardn; n f ś gaɖrd flǎrz at ol, it wz ćīfli fr ɖ pleźr v misćif—at līst so it wz cnjcćrd fṛm hr olwz prifŕñ ɖoz ẃć ś wz fbidn t tec. Sć wr hr pṛpnṣtiz—hr abiḷtiz wr qt az xtrordnri. Ś nvr cd lrn or unḍstand enʈñ bfr ś wz tòt; n smtmz nt īvn ɖen, fr ś wz ofn in’tntiv, n oceźṇli stypid. Hr muɖr wz ʈri munʈs in tīćñ hr onli t rpit ɖ “Begr’z Ptiśn”; n aftr ol, hr nxt sistr, Sali, cd se it betr ɖn ś dd. Nt ɖt Caʈrin wz olwz stypid—bî no mīnz; ś lrnt ɖ febl v “Ɖ Hér n Mni Frendz” az qcli az eni grl in Ñgḷnd. Hr muɖr wśt hr t lrn ḿzic; n Caʈrin wz śr ś śd lîc it, fr ś wz vri fond v tnclñ ɖ ciz v ɖ old f’lorn spinit; so, at et yirz old ś bgan. Ś lrnt a yir, n cd nt ber it; n Msz Morḷnd, hu dd nt insist on hr dōtrz biyñ acumpliśt in spît v inc̣paṣti or dstest, alaud hr t līv of. Ɖ de ẃć dsmist ɖ ḿzicmastr wz wn v ɖ hapiist v Caʈrin’z lîf. Hr test fr drw̃ wz nt s’pirịr; ɖo ẃnvr ś cd obten ɖ ǎtsd v a letr fṛm hr muɖr or sīz upn eni uɖr od pìs v pepr, ś dd ẃt ś cd in ɖt we, bî drw̃ hǎzz n triz, hnz n ćicinz, ol vri mć lîc wn anɖr. Raitñ n acǎnts ś wz tòt bî hr faɖr; Frenć bî hr muɖr: hr pṛfiśnsi in îɖr wz nt rmarcbl, n ś śrct hr lésnz in bʈ ẃnvr ś cd. Ẃt a strenj, un’cǎntbl caṛctr!—fr wɖ ol ɖz simtmz v profligsi at ten yirz old, ś hd nɖr a bad hart nr a bad tmpr, wz sldm stubn, scersli evr qoṛlsm, n vri cînd t ɖ litl wnz, wɖ fy inṭrupśnz v tiṛni; ś wz morovr nôzi n wîld, hetd cnfînmnt n clenlinis, n luvd nʈñ so wel in ɖ wrld az rolñ dǎn ɖ grīn slǒp at ɖ bac v ɖ hǎs.
Sć wz Caʈrin Morḷnd at ten. At fiftīn, apiṛnsz wr mndñ; ś bgan t crl hr her n loñ fr bōlz; hr cmplex́n impruvd, hr fīćrz wr sofnd bî plumpnis n culr, hr îz gend mor aṇmeśn, n hr figr mor consiqns. Hr luv v drt gev we t an incḷneśn fr fîṇri, n ś grù clīn az ś grù smart; ś hd nǎ ɖ pleźr v smtmz hírñ hr faɖr n muɖr rmarc on hr prsnl impruvmnt. “Caʈrin groz qt a gd-lcñ grl—ś z olmst priti tde,” wr wrdz ẃć còt hr irz nǎ n ɖen; n hǎ welcm wr ɖ sǎndz! T lc olmst priti z an aqziśn v hayr dlît t a grl hu hz bn lcñ plen ɖ frst fiftīn yirz v hr lîf ɖn a byti fṛm hr credl cn evr rsiv.
Msz Morḷnd wz a vri gd wmn, n wśt t si hr ćildṛn evrʈñ ɖe òt t b; bt hr tîm wz so mć okpaid in layñ-in n tīćñ ɖ litl wnz, ɖt hr eldr dōtrz wr inevitbli left t śift fr ɖmslvz; n it wz nt vri wundrfl ɖt Caʈrin, hu hd bî nećr nʈñ hrǒic abt hr, śd prifŕ cricit, besbōl, rîdñ on horsbac, n runñ abt ɖ cuntri at ɖ ej v fortīn, t bcs—or at līst bcs v inf̣meśn—fr, pṛvîdd ɖt nʈñ lîc ysfl nolij cd b gend fṛm ɖm, pṛvîdd ɖe wr ol stori n no rflex́n, ś hd nvr eni objx́n t bcs at ol. Bt fṛm fiftīn t sevntīn ś wz in trenñ fr a herǒin; ś réd ol sć wrcs az herǒinz mst rīd t s’plî ɖer meṃriz wɖ ɖoz qteśnz ẃć r so srvisbl n so suɖñ in ɖ vsiṣtydz v ɖer ivntfl livz.
Fṛm Pǒp, ś lrnt t snśr ɖoz hu
“ber abt ɖ moc̣ri v wo.”
Fṛm Gre, ɖt
“Mni a flǎr z born t bluś unsìn,
“N west its fregṛns on ɖ deẓt-er.”
Fṛm Tomsn, ɖt—
“It z a dlîtfl tasc
“T tīć ɖ yuñ îdīa hǎ t śūt.”
N fṛm Śecspir ś gend a gret stor v inf̣meśn—amñst ɖ rest, ɖt—
“Trîflz lît az er,
“R, t ɖ jeḷs, conf̣meśn stroñ,
“Az prūfs v Holi Rit.”
Ɖt
“Ɖ pur bītl, ẃć w tréd upn,
“In corpṛl sufṛns fīlz a pañ az gret
“Az ẃn a jaynt dîz.”
N ɖt a yuñ wmn in luv olwz lcs—
“lîc Peśns on a mońmnt
“Smîlñ at Grīf.”
So far hr impruvmnt wz sfiśnt—n in mni uɖr pônts ś cem on xidñli wel; fr ɖo ś cd nt rait sonits, ś bròt hrslf t rīd ɖm; n ɖo ɖr sīmd no ćans v hr ʈrowñ a hol parti intu rapćrz bî a prelyd on ɖ pianoforte, v hr ǒn compziśn, ś cd lisn t uɖr ppl’z pformns wɖ vri litl ftīg. Hr gretist dfiśnsi wz in ɖ pensl—ś hd no nośn v drw̃—nt inuf īvn t atmt a sceć v hr luvr’z profîl, ɖt ś mt b dtctd in ɖ dzîn. Ɖr ś fél mizṛbli śort v ɖ tru hrǒic hît. At preznt ś dd nt nǒ hr ǒn poṿti, fr ś hd no luvr t portre. Ś hd rīćt ɖ ej v sevntīn, wɖǎt hvñ sìn wn emịbl yʈ hu cd cōl fʈ hr snsbiḷti, wɖǎt hvñ inspîrd wn riyl paśn, n wɖǎt hvñ xîtd īvn eni adṃreśn bt ẃt wz vri modṛt n vri tranzịnt. Ɖs wz strenj indd! Bt strenj ʈñz me b jenṛli acǎntd fr f ɖer cōz b ferli srćt ǎt. Ɖr wz nt wn lord in ɖ nebrhd; no—nt īvn a baṛnét. Ɖr wz nt wn faṃli amñ ɖer aqentns hu hd rird n s’portd a bô axdnṭli faund at ɖer dor—nt wn yuñ man huz oṛjin wz uņoun. Hr faɖr hd no word, n ɖ sqîr v ɖ pariś no ćildṛn.
Bt ẃn a yuñ ledi z t b a herǒin, ɖ pvrsnis v forti srǎndñ faṃliz canot privnt hr. Smʈñ mst n wl hapn t ʈro a hiro in hr we.
Mr Aḷn, hu ǒnd ɖ ćīf v ɖ proṗti abt Fŭḷtn, ɖ vilij in Wiltśr ẃr ɖ Morḷndz livd, wz ordrd t Baʈ fr ɖ beṇfit v a gǎti consttyśn—n hiz ledi, a gd-hymrd wmn, fond v Mis Morḷnd, n probbli awer ɖt f advnćrz wl nt bfōl a yuñ ledi in hr ǒn vilij, ś mst sīc ɖm abrōd, invîtd hr t g wɖ ɖm. Mr n Msz Morḷnd wr ol cmplayns, n Caʈrin ol hapinis.
