Regret

Kate Chopin

MAMZELLE AURLIE possessed a good strong fgure, ruddy cheeks, hair that was changing fro !rown to gray, and a deter ined eye" #he wore a an$s hat a!out the far , and an o%d !%ue ar y o&ercoat when it was co%d, and so eti es top'!oots" Ma (e%%e Aur%ie had ne&er thought of ffty she had not yet %i&ed to regret it" #o she was )uite a%one in the wor%d, e*cept for her dog +onto, and the negroes who %i&ed in her ca!ins and worked her crops, and the fow%s, a few cows, a coup%e of ,with which she shot chicken'hawks-, and her re%igion" .ne orning Ma (e%%e Aur%ie stood upon her ga%%ery, conte p%ating, with ar s aki !o, a ight ha&e fa%%en fro u%es, her gun arrying" #he had ne&er !een in %o&e" At the age of

twenty she had recei&ed a proposa%, which she had pro pt%y dec%ined, and at the age of

s a%% !and of &ery s a%% chi%dren who, to a%% intents and purposes,

the c%ouds, so une*pected and !ewi%dering was their co ing, and so unwe%co e" /hey were the chi%dren of her nearest neigh!or, .di%e, who was not such a near neigh!or, after a%%" /he young wo an had appeared !ut f&e inutes !efore, acco panied !y these four e !y an unwi%%ing hand0

chi%dren" In her ar s she carried %itt%e Lodie0 she dragged /i 1o whi%e Marc%ine and Marc%ette fo%%owed with irreso%ute steps" 2er face was red and disfgured fro '' it see ed to her a her to the station" i%%ion

tears and e*cite ent" #he had !een su

oned to a

neigh!oring parish !y the dangerous i%%ness of her

other0 her hus!and was away in /e*as u%e'cart to dri&e

i%es away0 and 3a%sin was waiting with the

4It$s no )uestion, Ma (e%%e Aur%ie0 you 5us$ got to keep those youngsters fo$ !ack" 6ieu sait, I wou%dn$ !otha you with $e not ho e, an$ ay!e not e&en to fne po$ you, Ma (e%%e Aur%ie0 don$ spare $e " Me, there, I$

e te%% I co e ine

if it was any otha way to do7 Make $e

ha%f cra(y !etween the chi%$ren, an$ Lon

a an a%i&e encore74 '' a harrowing possi!i%ity

which dro&e .di%e to take a fna% hasty and con&u%si&e %ea&e of her disconso%ate fa i%y" #he %eft the crowded into the narrow strip of shade on the porch of the %ong, %ow house0 ounted, and was stepping hea&i%y,

the white sun%ight was !eating in on the white o%d !oards0 so e chickens were scratching in the grass at the foot of the steps, and one had !o%d%y so%e n%y, and ai %ess%y across the ga%%ery" /here was a p%easant odor of pinks in the air, and the sound of negroes$ %aughter was co ing across the 8owering cotton'fe%d" Ma (e%%e Aur%ie stood conte p%ating the chi%dren" #he %ooked with a critica% eye upon

Marc%ine, who had !een %eft staggering !eneath the weight of the chu!!y Lodie" #he sur&eyed with the sa e ca%cu%ating air Marc%ette grief and re!e%%ion of /i 1o !egan !y feeding the " If Ma (e%%e Aur%ie$s responsi!i%ities ight ha&e !egun and ended there, they cou%d easi%y ing%ing her si%ent tears with the audi!%e o ents she was co%%ecting e" 6uring those few conte p%ati&e

herse%f, deter ining upon a %ine of action which shou%d !e identica% with a %ine of duty" #he

ha&e !een dis issed0 for her %arder was a p%y pro&ided against an e ergency of this nature" 9ut %itt%e chi%dren are not %itt%e pigs: they re)uire and de and attentions which were who%%y une*pected !y Ma (e%%e Aur%ie, and which she was i%% prepared to gi&e" #he was, indeed, &ery inapt in her anage ent of .di%e$s chi%dren during the frst few days" anding e$s

2ow cou%d she know that Marc%ette a%ways wept when spoken to in a %oud and co tone of &oice; It was a pecu%iarity of Marc%ette$s" #he !eca e ac)uainted with /i 1o apparent purpose of critica%%y studying their !otanica% construction"

passion for 8owers on%y when he had p%ucked a%% the choicest gardenias and pinks for the

4$/ ain$t enough to te%% $i , Ma (e%%e Aur%ie,4 Marc%ine instructed her0 4you got to tie $i a chair" It$s w$at a an a%% ti e do w$en he$s !ad: she tie $i Ma (e%%e Aur%ie tied /i 1o

in

in a chair"4 /he chair in which

e was roo y and co forta!%e, and he sei(ed the opportunity

to take a nap in it, the afternoon !eing war " At night, when she ordered the one and a%% to !ed as she wou%d ha&e shooed the chickens the pi%%ow's%ip in which they were !rought o&er, and idd%e of the 8oor, in which the %itt%e tired, dusty, ade Marc%ine and o ent ha&e

into the hen'house, they stayed unco prehending !efore her" <hat a!out the %itt%e white nightgowns that had to !e taken fro shaken !y so e strong hand ti%% they snapped %ike o*'whips; <hat a!out the tu! of water which had to !e !rought and set in the Marc%ette %augh sun'!rowned feet had e&ery one to !e washed sweet and c%ean; And it erri%y '' the idea that Ma (e%%e Aur%ie shou%d for a !e%ie&ed that /i 1o

e cou%d fa%% as%eep without !eing to%d the story of Cro)ue' itaine or

Loup'garou, or !oth0 or that %odie cou%d fa%% as%eep at a%% without !eing rocked and sung to" 4I te%% you, Aunt Ru!y,4 Ma (e%%e Aur%ie infor ed her cook in confdence0 4 e, I$d rather anage a do(en p%antation$ than fo$ chi%$ren" It$s terrassent7 9ont7 don$t ta%k to chi%$ren74 4/ ain$ ispected sich as you wou%d know airy thing $!out $e , Ma (e%%e Aur%ie" I see dat p%ain%y yistiddy w$en I spy dat %i$%e chi%e p%ayin$ wid yo$ !askit o$ keys" =ou don$ know dat e a!out

akes chi%%un grow up hard'headed, to p%ay wid keys; 6es %ike it chi%%un"4

ake $e

teeth hard to anige ent o$

%ook in a %ookin$'g%ass" /he $s the things you got to know in the raisin$ an$

Ma (e%%e Aur%ie certain%y did not pretend or aspire to such su!t%e and far'reaching know%edge on the su!5ect as Aunt Ru!y possessed, who had 4raised f&e an$ !uried si*4 in her day" #he was g%ad enough to %earn a few %itt%e need" /i 1o e$s sticky fngers co pe%%ed her to unearth white aprons that she had not worn for herse%f to his oist kisses '' the e*pressions of an used, other'tricks to ser&e the o ent$s

years, and she had to accusto fro

affectionate and e*u!erant nature" #he got down her sewing'!asket, which she se%do

the top she%f of the ar oire, and p%aced it within the ready and easy reach which

torn s%ips and !utton%ess waists de anded" It took her so e days to !eco e accusto ed to the %aughing, the crying, the chattering that echoed through the house and around it a%% day %ong" And it was not the frst or the second night that she cou%d s%eep co forta!%y with %itt%e Lodie$s hot, p%u p !ody pressed c%ose against her, and the %itt%e one$s war !eating her cheek %ike the fanning of a !ird$s wing" 9ut at the end of two weeks Ma (e%%e Aur%ie had grown )uite used to these things, and she no %onger co p%ained" It was a%so at the end of two weeks that Ma (e%%e Aur%ie, one e&ening, %ooking away toward the cri! where the catt%e were !eing fed, saw 3a%sin$s !%ue cart turning the !end of the road" .di%e sat !eside the u%atto, upright and a%ert" As they drew near, the young wo an$s !ea ing face indicated that her ho e'co ing was a happy one" 9ut this co ing, unannounced and une*pected, threw Ma (e%%e Aur%ie into a 8utter that was a% ost agitation" /he chi%dren had to !e gathered" <here was /i 1o e; =onder in the shed, putting an edge on his knife at the grindstone" And Marc%ine and Marc%ette; Cutting and fashioning do%%'rags in the corner of the ga%%ery" As for Lodie, she was safe enough in Ma (e%%e Aur%ie$s ar s0 and she had screa ed with de%ight at sight of the fa i%iar !%ue cart which was !ringing her other !ack to her" !reath

/2E e*cite ent was a%% o&er, and they were gone" 2ow sti%% it was when they were gone7 Ma (e%%e Aur%ie stood upon the ga%%ery, %ooking and %istening" #he cou%d no %onger see the cart0 the red sunset and the !%ue'gray twi%ight had together 8ung a purp%e fe%ds and road that hid it fro ist across the her &iew" #he cou%d no %onger hear the whee(ing and

creaking of its whee%s" 9ut she cou%d sti%% faint%y hear the shri%%, g%ad &oices of the chi%dren" #he turned into the house" /here was uch work awaiting her, for the chi%dren had %eft a

sad disorder !ehind the 0 !ut she did not at once set a!out the task of righting it" Ma (e%%e Aur%ie seated herse%f !eside the ta!%e" #he ga&e one s%ow g%ance through the roo , into which the e&ening shadows were creeping and deepening around her so%itary fgure" #he %et her head fa%% down upon her !ended ar , and !egan to cry" .h, !ut she cried7 1ot soft%y, as wo en often do" #he cried %ike a an, with so!s that see ed to tear her &ery sou%" #he did not notice +onto %icking her hand"

Credits

A work !y Kate Chopin" Archi&ed, +rocessed and +u!%ished !y /he E%ectronic 9ooks >oundation" /heE%ectronic 9ooks >oundation is a part of A !arathooni >oundation" Archi&ed !y the efforts of Adhithya Ra5asekaran, Renuka Ra5asekaran and #ri Madha&i Ra5asekaran" Lead 6esigner and Contents Editor: Adhithya Ra5asekaran Copy Editor and +roofreader: 6r" Renuka Ra5asekaran Asst 6esigner and Editor: #ri Madha&i Ra5asekaran +%ease re)uest any work that you want !y e ai%ing us what you need atadhithyan?@ at g ai% dotco or !y &isiting the we!site !e%ow http:A Agoo"g%A=B1t. Anyone can access and down%oad our docu ents for free +%ease !e aware of the copyright %aws in your country !efore down%oading any of our docu ents" +%ease read http:A Ae!foundation"wiki"(oho"co thorough%y !efore taking any further action"

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