Practical family men know
better.
About twelve months after the birth of Ernest there came a second,
also a boy, who was christened Joseph, and in less than twelve
months afterwards, a girl, to whom was given the name of Charlotte.
A few months before this girl was born Christina paid a visit to the
John Pontifexes in London, and, knowing her condition, passed a good
deal of time at the Royal Academy exhibition looking at the types of
female beauty portrayed by the Academicians, for she had made up her
mind that the child this time was to be a girl. Alethea warned her not
to do this, but she persisted, and certainly the child turned out
plain, but whether the pictures caused this or no, I cannot say.
Theobald had never liked children. He had always got away from
them as soon as he could, and so had they from him; oh, why, he was
inclined to ask himself, could not children be born into the world
grown-up? If Christina could have given birth to a few full-grown
clergymen in priest's orders- of moderate views, but inclining
rather to Evangelicism, with comfortable livings and in all respects
facsimiles of Theobald himself- why there might have been more sense
in it; or if people could buy ready-made children at a shop of
whatever age and sex they liked, instead of always having to make them
at home and to begin at the beginning with them- that might do better,
but as it was he did not like it.
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