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13th
Financial Accounting & Reporting is the most up-to-date text on the market. Now fully updated in
EDITION BARRY ELLIOTT AND JAMIE ELLIOTT
FINANCIAL
its 13th edition, it includes extensive coverage of International Accounting Standards (IASs) and
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs).
Key features
l Combines academic rigour with an
REPORTING
engaging and accessible style New features for this edition
l Coverage of International Financial
Reporting Standards l Fully updated to May 2009
AND REPORTING
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
l Illustrations taken from real published l Updated coverage of International
accounts Financial Reporting Standards
l Excellent range of review questions l Substantial revisions to Analysis of
l Numerous exercises, varying in level of Accounts and Accountability chapters
difficulty, with solutions where applicable l Selected chapters include new additional
l Extensive references questions and exercises
l A section on the Analysis of Accounts l Includes more examples of extracts from
l A section on Accountability – includes real financial reports
Corporate Governance issues, l Fully supported by a comprehensive set
Sustainability - environmental and of multiple-choice questions online,
social reporting and Ethics covering all parts of the text.
Jamie Elliott is a Director with Deloitte & Touche. Prior to this he has lectured at university on
undergraduate degree programmes and as an assistant professor on MBA and Executive
programmes at the London Business School.
Cover image © alamy
www.pearson-books.com
Financial Accounting
and Reporting
A01_ELLI3325_13_SE_FM.QXD 13/7/09 11:24 Page ii
Financial Accounting
and Reporting
THIRTEENTH EDITION
The rights of Barry Elliott and Jamie Elliott to be identified as authors of this
work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The
use of any trademark in this text does not vest in the author or publisher any
trademark ownership rights in such trademarks, nor does the use of such
trademarks imply any affiliation with or endorsement of this book by such
owners.
ISBN: 978-0-273-72332-5
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
13 12 11 10 09
Brief Contents
Part 1
INCOME AND ASSET VALUE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS 1
Part 2
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK – AN ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE
UNIFORMITY 99
Part 3
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION – EQUITY, LIABILITY
AND ASSET MEASUREMENT AND DISCLOSURE 255
vi • Brief Contents
Part 4
CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS 543
Part 5
INTERPRETATION 625
Part 6
ACCOUNTABILITY 783
Index 913
A01_ELLI3325_13_SE_FM.QXD 13/7/09 11:24 Page vii
Full Contents
Part 1
INCOME AND ASSET VALUE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS 1
1 Accounting and reporting on a cash flow basis 3
1.1 Introduction 3
1.2 Shareholders 3
1.3 What skills does an accountant require in respect of external reports? 4
1.4 Managers 4
1.5 What skills does an accountant require in respect of internal reports? 5
1.6 Procedural steps when reporting to internal users 5
1.7 Agency costs 8
1.8 Illustration of periodic financial statements prepared under the cash
flow concept to disclose realised operating cash flows 8
1.9 Illustration of preparation of balance sheet under the cash flow concept 12
1.10 Treatment of non-current assets in the cash flow model 14
1.11 What are the characteristics of these data that make them reliable? 15
1.12 Reports to external users 16
Summary 16
Review questions 17
Exercises 18
References 21
Part 2
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK – AN ATTEMPT TO
ACHIEVE UNIFORMITY 99
Full Contents • ix
x • Full Contents
Part 3
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION – EQUITY,
LIABILITY AND ASSET MEASUREMENT AND DISCLOSURE 255
Full Contents • xi
Exercises 339
References 341
16 Leasing 436
16.1 Introduction 436
16.2 Background to leasing 436
16.3 IAS 17 (and its national equivalents) – the controversy 438
16.4 IAS 17 – classification of a lease 440
16.5 IAS 17 – accounting for leases by lessees 442
16.6 Accounting for the lease of land and buildings 447
16.7 Leasing – a form of off statement of financial position financing 448
16.8 Accounting for leases – a new approach 449
16.9 Accounting for leases by lessors 451
Summary 452
Review questions 452
Exercises 454
References 456
18 Inventories 498
18.1 Introduction 498
18.2 Inventory defined 498
18.3 The controversy 499
18.4 IAS 2 Inventories 500
18.5 Inventory valuation 501
18.6 Work-in-progress 508
18.7 Inventory control 510
18.8 Creative accounting 511
18.9 Audit of the year-end physical inventory count 513
18.10 Published accounts 514
18.11 Agricultural activity 515
Summary 518
Review questions 519
Exercises 519
References 523
PART 4
CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS 543
Full Contents • xv
PART 5
INTERPRETATION 625
PART 6
ACCOUNTABILITY 783
xx • Full Contents
Index 913
A01_ELLI3325_13_SE_FM.QXD 13/7/09 11:24 Page xxi
Accounting standards
UK listed companies, together with those non-listed companies that so choose, have applied
international standards from January 2005.
For non-listed companies that choose to continue to apply UK GAAP, the ASB has stated
its commitment to progressively bringing UK GAAP into line with international standards.
A01_ELLI3325_13_SE_FM.QXD 13/7/09 11:24 Page xxii
For companies currently applying FRSSE, this will continue. The IASB launched field
tests of an SME Exposure draft in June 2007 with an IFRS for non-publicly accountable/
private entities due in 2009.
Recent developments
In addition to the steps being taken towards the development of IFRSs that will receive broad
consensus support, regulators have been active in developing further requirements concern-
ing corporate governance. These have been prompted by the accounting scandals in the USA
and, more recently, in Europe and by shareholder activism fuelled by the apparent lack of
any relationship between increases in directors’ remuneration and company performance.
The content of financial reports continues to be subjected to discussion with a tension
between preparers, stakeholders, auditors, academics and standard setters; this is mirrored
in the tension that exists between theory and practice.
● Preparers favour reporting transactions on a historical cost basis which is reliable but does
not provide shareholders with relevant information to appraise past performance or to
predict future earnings.
● Shareholders favour forward-looking reports relevant in estimating future dividend and
capital growth and in understanding environmental and social impacts.
● Stakeholders favour quantified and narrative disclosure of environmental and social impacts
and the steps taken to reduce negative impacts.
● Auditors favour reports that are verifiable so that the figures can be substantiated to avoid
them being proved wrong at a later date.
● Academic accountants favour reports that reflect economic reality and are relevant in apprais-
ing management performance and in assessing the capacity of the company to adapt.
● Standard setters lean towards the academic view and favour reporting according to the
commercial substance of a transaction.
In order to understand the tensions that exist, students need:
● the skill to prepare financial statements in accordance with the historical cost and current
cost conventions, both of which appear in annual financial reports;
● an understanding of the main thrust of mandatory and voluntary standards;
● an understanding of the degree of flexibility available to the preparers and the impact of
this on reported earnings and the figures in the statement of financial position;
● an understanding of the limitations of financial reports in portraying economic reality;
and
● an exposure to source material and other published material in so far as time permits.
Instructor’s Manual
A separate Instructor’s Manual has been written to accompany this text. It contains fully
worked solutions to all the exercises and is of a quality that allows them to be used as over-
head transparencies. The Manual is available at no cost to lecturers on application to the
publishers.
A01_ELLI3325_13_SE_FM.QXD 13/7/09 11:24 Page xxiv
Website
Acknowledgements
Financial reporting is a dynamic area and we see it as extremely important that the text
should reflect this and be kept current. Assistance has been generously given by colleagues
and many others in the preparation and review of the text and assessment material. This
thirteenth edition continues to be very much a result of the authors, colleagues, reviewers
and Pearson editorial and production staff working as a team and we are grateful to all
concerned for their assistance in achieving this.
We owe particular thanks to Ron Altshul of Leeds Metropolitan University, who has
updated ‘Taxation in company accounts’ (Chapter 14); Bala Balachandran of South Bank
University ‘Corporate governance’ (Chapter 30); Charles Batchelor formerly of FTC
Kaplan for ‘Financial instruments’ (Chapter 12) and ‘Employee benefits’ (Chapter 13); Steve
Dungworth of De Montfort University, for ‘Ethics for accountants’ (Chapter 32), which
first appeared in the third edition; Ozer Erman of Kingston University, for ‘Share capital,
distributable profits and reduction of capital’ (Chapter 10), which first appeared in the
second edition; Paul Robins of the Financial Training Company for ‘Property, plant and
equipment (PPE)’ (Chapter 15) and Consolidation chapters; Professor Garry Tibbits of the
University of Western Sydney for Leasing (Chapter 16); Hendrika Tibbits of the University
of Western Sydney for An introduction to financial reporting on the Internet (Chapter 29);
David Towers, formerly of Keele University, for R&D; goodwill and intangible assets
(Chapter 17); and Martin Howes for inputs to financial analysis.
The authors are grateful for the constructive comments received from the following reviewers
which have assisted us in making improvements: Iain Fleming of the University of Paisley,
John Morley of the University of Brighton, John Forker of Queen’s University, Belfast, Breda
Sweeney of Cork University, Patricia McCourt Larres of Queen’s University, Belfast, and
Dave Knight of Leeds Metropolitan University.
Thanks are owed to A.T. Benedict of the South Bank University, Keith Brown of De
Montfort University, Kenneth N. Field of the University of Leeds, Sue McDermott of
London Guildhall University, David Murphy of Manchester Metropolitan University,
Bahadur Najak of the University of Durham, Graham Sara of Coventry University, Laura
Spira of Oxford Brookes University, Ken Trunkfield, formerly of the University of Derby,
and Martin Tuffy formerly of the University of Brighton.
Thanks are also due to the following organisations: the Accounting Standards Board,
the International Accounting Standards Board, the Association of Chartered Certified
Accountants, the Association of International Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Manage-
ment Accountants, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, Chartered Institute
of Public Finance and Accountancy, Chartered Institute of Bankers and the Institute of
Investment Management and Research.
We would also like to thank the authors of some of the end-of-chapter exercises. Some of
these exercises have been inherited from a variety of institutions with which we have been
associated, and we have unfortunately lost the identities of the originators of such material
with the passage of time. We are sorry that we cannot acknowledge them by name and hope
that they will excuse us for using their material.
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A hateful look came into his eyes.
"I thought you were fond of fatherless babies," he sneered.
"Go," I said, hardly controlling myself, "and don't come here again
without Mr. Saychase."
"If I bring him it will be to marry you, Ruth."
Something in me rose up and spoke without my volition. I did not
know what I was saying until the words were half said. I crossed the
room and rang the bell for Rosa, and as I did it I said:—
"I see I must have a husband to protect me from your insults, and I
will marry Tom Webbe."
Before he could answer, Rosa appeared.
"Rosa," I said, and all my calmness had come back, "will you show
Mr. Weston to the door. I am not at home to him again until he
comes with Mr. Saychase."
She restrained her surprise and amusement better than I expected,
but before she had had time to do more than toss her head George
had rushed away without ceremony. By this time, I suppose, every
man, woman, and child in town knows that I have turned him out of
my house.
November 7. "And after the fire a still, small voice!" I have been
saying this over and over to myself; and remembering, not
irreverently, that God was in the voice.
I have had a talk with Tom which has moved me more than all the
trouble with George. The very fact that George so outraged all my
feelings and made me so angry kept me from being touched as I
might have been otherwise; but this explanation with Tom has left
me shaken and tired out. It is emotion and not physical work that
wears humanity to shreds.
Tom came to discuss the reading-room. He is delighted that it has
started so well and is going on so swimmingly; and he is full of plans
for increasing the interest. I was, I confess, so preoccupied with
what I had made up my mind to say to him I could hardly follow
what he was saying. I felt as if something were grasping me by the
throat. He looked at me strangely, but he went on talking as if he did
not notice my uneasiness.
"Tom," I broke out at last, when I could endure it no longer, "did you
know that Mrs. Weston is here, very ill?"
"Yes," was all he answered.
"And, Tom," I hurried on, "George won't remarry her."
"Won't remarry her?" he echoed. "The cur!"
"He was here yesterday," I went on desperately, "and he said he is
determined to marry me."
Tom started forward with hot face and clenched fist.
"The blackguard! I wish I'd been here to kick him out of the house!
What did you say to him?"
"I told him he had insulted me, and forbade him to come here again
without Mr. Saychase to remarry them," I said. Then before Tom's
searching look I became so confused he could not help seeing there
was more.
"Well?" he demanded.
He was almost peremptory, although he was courteous. Men have
such a way in a crisis of instinctively taking the lead that a woman
yields to it almost of necessity.
"Tom," I answered, more and more confused, "I must tell you, but I
hope you'll understand. I had a frightful time with him. I was
ashamed of him and ashamed of myself, and very angry; and when
he said he'd make me marry him sometime, I told him"—
"Well?" demanded Tom, his voice much lower than before, but even
more compelling.
"I told him," said I, the blood fairly throbbing in my cheeks, "that I
should marry you. You've asked me, you know!"
He grew fairly white, but for a moment he did not move. His eyes
had a look in them I had never seen, and which made me tremble.
It seemed to me that he was fighting down what he wanted to say,
and to get control of himself.
"Ruth," he asked me at last, with an odd hoarseness in his voice, "do
you want George Weston to marry that woman?"
"Of course I do," I cried, so surprised and relieved that the question
was not more personal the tears started to my eyes. "I want it more
than anything else in the world."
Again he was still for a moment, his eyes looking into mine as if he
meant to drag out my most secret thought. These silences were too
much for me to bear, and I broke this one. I asked him if he were
vexed at what I had said to George, and told him the words had
seemed to say themselves without any will of mine.
"I could only be sorry at anything you said, Ruth," he returned,
"never vexed. I only think it a pity for you to link your name with
mine."
I tried to speak, but he went on.
"I've loved you ever since I was old enough to love anything. I've
told you that often enough, and I don't think you doubt it. I had you
as my ambition all the time I was growing up. I came home from
college, and you were engaged, and all the good was taken out of
life for me. I've never cared much since what happened. But if I've
asked you to love me, Ruth, I never gave you the right to think I'd
be base enough to be willing you should marry me without loving
me."
Again I tried to speak, though I cannot tell what I wished to say. I
only choked and could not get out a word.
"Don't talk about it. I can't stand it," he broke in, his voice husky.
"You needn't marry me to make George Weston come up to the
mark. I'll take care of that."
I suppose I looked up with a dread of what might happen if he saw
George, and of course Tom could not understand that my concern
was for him and not for George. He smiled a bitter sort of smile.
"You needn't be afraid," he said. "I'll treat him tenderly for your
sake."
I was too confused to speak, and I could only sit there dazed and
silent while he went away. It was not what he was saying that filled
me with a tumult till my thoughts seemed beating in my head like
wild birds in a net. Suddenly while he was speaking, while his dear,
honest eyes full of pain were looking into mine, the still, small voice
had spoken, and I knew that I cared for Tom as he cared for me.
November 8. I realize now that from the morning when Tom and I
first stood with baby in my arms between us I have felt differently
toward him. It was at the moment almost as if I were his wife, and
though I never owned it to myself, even in my most secret thought,
I have somehow belonged to him ever since. I see now that
something very deep within has known and has from time to time
tried to tell me; but I put my hands to the ears of my mind. Miss
Fleming used to try to teach us things at school about the difference
between the consciousness and the will, and other dark mysteries
which to me were, and are, and always will be utterly
incomprehensible, and I suppose some kind of a consciousness
knew what the will wouldn't recognize. That sounds like nonsense
now it is on paper, but it seemed extremely wise when I began to
write it. No matter; the facts I know well enough. It is wonderful
how a woman will hide a thing from herself, a thing she knows
really, but keeps from being conscious she knows by refusing to let
her thoughts put it into words.
To myself I seem shamefully fickle,—and yet it seems also as if I had
never changed at all, but that it was always Tom I have been fond
of, even when I fully believed it was George. Of course this is only a
weak excuse; but at least I have been fond of Tom as a friend from
my childhood. He has always commanded me, too, in a way. He has
done what I wished and what I thought best; but I have always
known he could be influenced only so far, and that if I wanted what
he did not believe in he could be as stubborn as a rock. The
hardness of his mother shows itself in him as the stanch foundation
for the gentleness he gets from his father.
Miss Charlotte came in for a moment to-day, and by instinct she
knew that something had made me happy. She was full of sympathy
for a moment, and then, I think, some suspicion came into her dear
old head which she would not have there.
"Ruth, my dear," she said in her rough way, "you look too cheerful
for the head of a foundling asylum and a house of refuge. I hope
you've made George Weston promise to marry his own wife,—
though if I made the laws it wouldn't be necessary for a man to
marry a woman more than once. I've no idea of weddings that have
to come round once in so often like house-cleaning."
She was watching me so keenly as she spoke that I smiled in spite
of myself.
"No," I told her, "I haven't been able to make him; but Tom Webbe
has undertaken to bring him round, so I believe it will be all right."
Whether she understood or not I cannot tell, but from the loving
way in which she leaned over and kissed me I suspect she had some
inkling of it.
November 9. They are married. Just after dusk to-night I heard the
doorbell, and Rosa came in with a queer look on her face to say that
Mr. Saychase and Mr. Weston were in the hall. I went out to them at
once, and tried to act as if everything had been arranged between
us. George was pale and stern. He would not look at me, and I did
not exchange a word directly with him while he was in the house,
except to say good-evening and good-by. I kept them waiting just a
moment or two while I prepared Gertrude, and then I called them
upstairs. She behaved very well, acting as if she were a little
frightened, but accepting everything without a word. I suspect she is
too ill really to care for anything very much. The ceremony was over
quickly, and then George went away without noticing his wife further
except to say good-night.
Tom came in for a moment, later, to see that everything was well,
and of course I asked him how he had brought George to consent.
He smiled rather grimly.
"I did it simply enough," he said. "I tried easy words first, and
appealed to him as a gentleman,—though of course I knew it was no
use. If such a plea would have done any good, I shouldn't have
been there. Then I said he wouldn't be tolerated in Tuskamuck if he
didn't make it right for his wife. He said he guessed he could fix that,
and if other people would mind their own business he could attend
to his. Then I opened the door and called in Cy Turner. I had him
waiting outside because I knew Weston would understand he meant
business. I asked him to say what we'd agreed; and he told Weston
that if he didn't marry the woman before midnight we'd have him
ridden out of town on a rail. He weakened at that. He knew we'd do
it."
I could not say anything to this. It was a man's way of treating the
situation, and it accomplished its end; but it did affect me a good
deal. I shivered at the very idea of a mob, and of what might have
happened if George had not yielded. Tom saw how I felt, I suppose.
"You think I'm a brute, Ruth," he said, "but I knew he'd give in. He
isn't very plucky. I always knew that."
He hurried away to go to the reading-room, where he had to see to
something or other, and we said nothing about our personal
relations. I wonder if I fancied that he watched me very closely to
see how I took his account, or if he really thought I might resent his
having browbeaten George. He need not have feared. I was troubled
by the idea of the mob, but I was proud of Tom, and I could not
help contrasting his clear, straightforward look with the way George
avoided my eyes.
November 12. Now there are two babies in the house, and Cousin
Mehitable might think her prediction that I would set up an orphan
asylum was coming true in earnest. In spite of Mrs. Weston's
exposure everything is going well, and we hope for the best. I sent
George a note last night to tell him, and he came over for a minute.
He behaved very well. He had none of the bravado which has made
him so different and so dreadful, and he was more like his old self.
He was let into his wife's chamber just long enough to kiss her, but
that was all. I suppose to be the father of a son must sober any
man.
November 20. Tom never comes any more to see me or baby. When
I discovered I cared for him I felt that of course everything was at
last straightened out; and here is Tom, who only knows that he
cares for me, so the case is about as it was before except that now
he will never speak. I must do something; but what can I do? When
I thought only of getting out of the way of George's marriage it was
bad enough to speak to Tom, and now it seems impossible. I can't, I
can't, I can't speak to him again!
November 23. Cousin Mehitable and her telegram arrived this time
together, for the boy who drove her from the station brought the
message, and gave it to her to bring into the house. She was full of
indignation and amazement at what she found, and insisted upon
going back to Boston by the afternoon train.
"I never know what you will do, Ruth," she said, "so of course I
ought not to be surprised; but of all the wild notions you could take
into your head, I must say to have Mrs. Weston come here to have
her baby is the most incredible."
"You advised me to have more babies, as long as I had one," I
interposed.
"I've a great mind to shake you," was her response. "This is a pretty
reception when I haven't seen you since I came home. To think I
should be cousin to a foundling hospital, and that all the family I
have left!"
I suggested that if I really did set up a foundling hospital, she would
soon have as large a family as anybody could want, and she briskly
retorted that she had more than she wanted now. She had come
down to persuade me to go to Boston for the winter, to make up,
she said, for my not going abroad with her, and she brought me a
wonderful piece of embroidered crêpe for a party dress. She was as
breezy and emphatic as ever, and she denounced me and my doings
in good round terms.
"I suppose if you did come to Boston," she said, "you'd be mixed up
in all the dreadful charities there, and I should never see you."
"But you know, Cousin Mehitable," I protested, "you belong to two
or three charitable societies yourself."
"But those are parish societies," was her reply. "That is quite
different. Of course I do my part in whatever the church is
concerned in; but you just do things on your own hook, and without
even believing anything. I think it's wicked myself."
I could only laugh at her, and it was easy to see that her indignation
was not with any charitable work I did, but only with the fact I
would not promise to leave everything and go home with her.
Before she went home I told her I had a confession to make. She
commented, not very encouragingly, that she supposed it was
something worse than anything had come yet, but that as she was
prepared for anything I might as well get it out.
"If you've decided to be some sort of a Mormon wife to that horrid
Mr. Weston," she added, "I shouldn't be in the least surprised.
Perhaps you'll take him in with the rest of his family."
I said I did indeed think of being married, but not to him.
"Let me know the worst at once, Ruth," she broke out, rather
fiercely. "At my age I can't stand suspense as I could once. What
tramp or beggar or clodhopper have you picked out? I know you too
well to suppose it's anybody respectable."
When I named Tom, she at first pretended not to know him,
although she has seen him a dozen times in her visits here, and
once condescended to say that for a countryman he was really
almost handsome.
"I know it's the same name as that baby's father's," she ended, her
voice getting icier and icier, "but of course no respectable woman
would think of marrying him."
"Then I'm not a respectable woman," I retorted, feeling the blood
rise into my face, "for I'm thinking of it."
We looked for a moment into each other's eyes, and I felt, however
I appeared, as if I were defying anything she could say.
"So he has taken advantage of your mothering his baby, has he?"
she brought out at last.
I responded that he did not even suspect I meant to marry him. She
stared, and demanded how he was to find out. I answered that I
could think of no way except for me to tell him. She threw up her
hands in pretended horror.
"I dare say," she burst out, "he only got you to take the baby so that
you'd feel bound to him. I should think when he'd disgraced himself
you might have self-respect enough to let him alone. Oh, what
would Cousin Horace say!"
Then she saw she was really hurting me, and her eyes softened
somewhat.
"I shan't congratulate you, Ruth, if that's what you expect; but since
you will be a fool in your own obstinate way, I hope it'll make you
happy."
I took both her hands in mine.
"Cousin Mehitable," I pleaded, "don't be hard on me. I know he's
done wrong, and it hurts me more than I can tell you. I am so sorry
for him and I really, really love him. I'm all alone now except for
baby, and I am sure if Father were alive he would see how I feel,
and approve of what I mean to do."
The tears came into her eyes as I had never seen them. She drew
her hands away, but first she pressed mine.
"Ruth," she said, "never mind my tongue. If you've only baby, I've
nobody but you, and you won't come near me. Besides, you are
going to have him. I can't pretend I like it, Ruth; but I do like you,
and I do dearly hope you'll be happy. You deserve to be, my dear;
and I'm a selfish, worldly old woman, with a train to catch. Now
don't say another word about it, or I'll disinherit you in my will."
So we kissed each other, and she went away with my secret.
November 25. Kathie has come home for her Thanksgiving vacation,
and I never saw a creature so transformed. She is so interested in
her school, her studies, her companions, that she seems to have
forgotten that anybody ever frightened her about her soul; and she
is just a merry, happy girl, bright-eyed and rather high-strung, but
not in the least morbid. She hugged me, and kissed Tomine, and the
nonsense of her jealousy, as of her having committed the
unpardonable sin, was forgotten entirely. It is an unspeakable
comfort to me that the experiment of sending her away has turned
out so well.
Miss Charlotte came in while Kathie was here, and watched her with
shrewd, keen eyes as she rattled on about the things she is
studying, the games she plays, and the friends she has made. When
she had gone, Miss Charlotte looked at me with one of her friendly
regards.
"She's made over, like the boy's jackknife that had a new blade and
a new handle," was her comment. "I think, my dear, you've saved
her soul alive."
I was delighted that she thought Kathie so much improved, though
of course I realized I had not done it.
November 26. I have invited George to Thanksgiving dinner. I do
hope Gertrude will be able to come downstairs; if she is not I shall
have to get through as best I can without her. Miss Charlotte will
come, and that will prevent the awkwardness of our being by
ourselves.
George comes every day to see his wife, and I think his real feelings,
his better side, have been called out by her illness. She is the
mother of his son, and she is so extremely pretty and pathetic as
she lies there, that I should not think any man could resist her. She
is so softened by what she has gone through, and so grateful for
kindness, she seems a different person from the over-dressed
woman we have known without liking very much.
She told me yesterday a good deal about her former life. She has
been an orphan from her early girlhood, largely dependent upon an
aunt who wanted to be rid of her. It was partly by the contrivance of
her aunt, and partly because she longed to escape from a position of
dependence, that she married her first husband. She did not stop, I
think, to consider what she was doing, and she found her case a
pretty hard one. Her husband abused her, and before they had been
married a year he ran away to escape a charge of embezzlement.
Word was sent to her soon after that he was drowned. She took
again her maiden name, and came East to escape all shadow of the
disgrace of her married life. She earned her living as a typewriter,
until she saw George at Franklin, where she was employed in the
bank. She confessed that she came here to secure him, and she
wept in begging my pardon for taking him away from me.
If she can keep to her resolutions and if George will only be still fond
of her, things may yet go well with them. Aunt Naomi dryly observed
yesterday that what has happened will be likely to prevent Mrs.
Weston for a long time to come from trying to make a display, and
so it may be the best thing that could have befallen her. So much
depends upon George, though!
November 30. The dinner went off much better than I could have
hoped. Dr. Wentworth allowed Gertrude to leave her room for the
first time, and George brought her down to dinner in his arms. She
was given only a quarter of an hour, but this served for the topic of
talk, and George was so tender with his wife that Miss Charlotte was
quite warmed to him.
The two babies of course had to be produced, but it was rather
painful to see how thin and spindling the little Weston baby looked
beside my bonny Thomasine. Tomine has grown really to know me.
She will come scrambling like a little crab across the floor toward me
if I appear in the nursery. Hannah and Rosa are both jealous of me,
and I triumph over them in a fashion little less than inhuman.
I am glad Thanksgiving is over, for in spite of all any of us might do
to seem perfectly at ease, some sense of constraint and
uncomfortableness was always in the background. On the whole,
however, we did very well; and Miss Charlotte sat with me far into
the twilight, talking of Mother.
XII
DECEMBER
Typos corrected:
page 35:
"fastastic" changed to "fantastic"
(fantastic bunches of snow in the willows)
page 119:
"be" changed to "he"
(clergyman with whom he)
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