So, Wired Love
It’s a good book, I reckon - or, I’ve read it like I think three times now, and I don’t reread books much, really
It’s like basically this woman who runs a telegraphy office, for sending telegrams, right, and she falls in love with the person who runs the next one along the line, right
Good if you like romance novels and Victorian-level drama - it was written in 1880 if I’m reading my roman numerals correct
They don’t even meet for ages, it’s like her friends all like American-Victorian-speak for “who is this guy you met him on the internet he could be some axe murderer type you don’t even know” it’s great
Anyway there’s this one line where she’s like hang on lemme find it
Alright not a line a bit of a dialogue, where they’re describing themselves to each other (and Nattie’s just spilled ink over herself) - here, it’s maybe long but I’ll just paste it
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"How can I describe myself?" replied Nattie. "How can anyone—properly? One sees that same old face in the glass day after day, and becomes so used to it that it is almost impossible to notice even the changes in it; so I am sure I do not see how one can tell how it really does look—unless one's nose is broken—or one's eyes crossed—and mine are not—or one should not see a looking-glass for a year! I can only say I am very inky just now!"
"Oh! that is too bad!" "C" said; then, with a laugh, "It has always been a source of great wonder to me how certain very plain people of my acquaintance could possibly think themselves handsome. But I see it all now! Can you not, however, leave the beauty out, and give me some sort of an idea about yourself for my imagination to work upon?"
"Certainly!" replied Nattie, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye that "C" knew not of. "Imagine, if you please, a tall young man, with——"
"C" "broke" quickly, saying,
"Oh, no! You cannot deceive me in that way! Under protest I accept the height, but spurn the sex!"
"Why, you do not suppose I am a lady, do you?" queried Nattie.
"I am quite positive you are. There is a certain difference in the "sending," of a lady and gentleman, that I have learned to distinguish. Can you truly say I am wrong?"
Nattie evaded a direct reply, by saying, "People who think they know so much are often deceived; now I make no surmises about you, but ask, fairly and squarely, shall I call you Mr., Miss, or Mrs. 'C'?"
"Call me neither. Call me plain 'C!' Or picture, if you like, in place of your sounder, a blonde, fairy-like girl talking to you, with pensive cheeks and sunny——"
"Don't you believe a word of it!"—some one on the wire here broke in, wishing, probably, to have a finger in the pie;" picture a hippopotamus, an elephant, but picture no fairy!"
"Judge not others by yourself, and learn to speak when spoken to!" "C" replied to the unknown; then "To N.—You know the more mystery there is about anything, the more interesting it becomes. Therefore, if I envelop myself in all the mystery possible, I will cherish hopes that you may dream of me!"
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Anyway, right, so obviously the book has C is a man, right, cs this is 1880 we’re talkin about, so, but like. Let them be queer, is what I’m saying.
Like,,, nah don’t use a title just call me my initial?? That’s literally what I did you know, like,,,
