Page 84 - nostromo-a-tale-of-the-seaboard

aspect of the world.
The latest phase in the history of the mine Mrs. Gould
knew from personal experience. It was in essence the histo-
ry of her married life. The mantle of the Goulds’ hereditary
position in Sulaco had descended amply upon her little per-
son; but she would not allow the peculiarities of the strange
garment to weigh down the vivacity of her character, which
was the sign of no mere mechanical sprightliness, but of an
eager intelligence. It must not be supposed that Mrs. Gould’s
mind was masculine. A woman with a masculine mind is
not a being of superior efficiency; she is simply a phenom-
enon of imperfect differentiation—interestingly barren and
without importance. Dona Emilia’s intelligence being femi-
nine led her to achieve the conquest of Sulaco, simply by
lighting the way for her unselfishness and sympathy. She
could converse charmingly, but she was not talkative. The
wisdom of the heart having no concern with the erection
or demolition of theories any more than with the defence
of prejudices, has no random words at its command. The
words it pronounces have the value of acts of integrity, tol-
erance, and compassion. A woman’s true tenderness, like
the true virility of man, is expressed in action of a conquer-
ing kind. The ladies of Sulaco adored Mrs. Gould. ‘They
still look upon me as something of a monster,’ Mrs. Gould
had said pleasantly to one of the three gentlemen from San
Francisco she had to entertain in her new Sulaco house just
about a year after her marriage.
They were her first visitors from abroad, and they had
come to look at the San Tome mine. She jested most agree-