Welcome back to the Forgotten Library; as always, I’m Nikki Gee, and today, we’re covering the sequel to Elsie Dinsmore, called Holidays at Roselands. You will need to listen to the previous episode first, as the sequel drops us right into the next day in the timeline. The reason for this, as I explained in the introduction last time, is that Martha Finley originally wrote all of this as one manuscript and her editor made her cut it in half.
Once again, a bit of a content warning – blatant racism, parental abuse (mainly emotional), and some pervy behavior on the part of adults with their children. Given the time period, nothing is really explicit, per se, but still a bit icky.
So, when last we left Elsie, she had run to her room without saying goodnight to her father, as she saw her father paying close attention to Miss Stevens, the woman who has “set her cap,” as the saying used to go, for Horace, and Travilla surmises that she had heard idle chatter that her father and this woman might be getting together. Horace goes to check on his daughter, who has been crying in her sleep, but doesn’t want to disturb her, so he leaves.
Next morning, Elsie feels a bit better, and her father tries to get to the root of the trouble. Elsie hesitates, but then admits that she thinks Miss Stevens is very disagreeable; she has tried to like her, but she can’t. Horace has brought her some better books to make up for Miss Stevens’ present – they are historical works, and will amuse and instruct her, and are much more agreeable for her than that “trashy” book. But again . . . WHY was it trashy?? [Inquiring minds want to know!] Travilla is happy to see Elsie looking more cheerful; the three of them walk together and then they decide to go for a ride later in the afternoon.
Elsie is invited to a party for that evening at another home and he asks if she would like to go; she asks if he wants her to go, and he says she can make her own decision, but he won’t be there, and he never feels truly comfortable letting her out of the house without him, but it will probably be boring at home because everyone else is going to the party. She says he can decide for her because she is “only a silly little girl.” He’ll be at home writing letters, and she says she would prefer to stay with him.
The children can’t decide on games, so they get Elsie to tell them a story. The older girls then go with Elsie to do their sewing and fancywork. Lucy likes the bracelet that Carry had made and she wants to make one too, so she asks if she can have one of Elsie’s curls. Horace overhears her and says no, Elsie’s hair isn’t her own to give. This upsets Elsie, because of course, she gave the other ringlet away without permission. She doesn’t want to miss out on her ride, though, so she has a battle raging within herself. Finally, she musters her courage and tells her father; he says he’s not angry this time, and knows she won’t do it again, now that she is aware he DOES care about it. She tells him she was afraid he wouldn’t let her ride, but she knew it would be wrong not to tell right away. He admires her conscientiousness and then gives her a letter that has arrived from Miss Rose. He encourages her to sit on his knee while she reads it, in case she needs help with the words.
He asks to read it after she’s done and the bit at the end seems to point to the fact that Horace’s love might not be permanent, and only Jesus’ love is. Horace says Elsie need never fear that he would withhold love from her, unless she ceases to be deserving of it. Umm, that’s a contradiction, no? Even then, he amends himself, she’s still his child and will always be dear to him.
The girls are surprised that Elsie isn’t going to go to the party – thinking that Horace is being mean again, but then even more surprised that she would rather spend the evening with her father at home. Which they do, writing letters; Horace helps her with her reply to Miss Rose and corrects her spelling for her. Then he sits with her on his knee in front of the fire, and she prattles on about her day for a bit, and then he sends her to bed.
Next day, Arthur is in a shitty mood and then wants to see her privately after breakfast. He wants to borrow some money from her, but won’t tell her what it’s for. She says she cannot lend anything to him unless she knows what for, because her father has forbidden her to do so, and she cannot disobey him. He calls bullshit on that, but then says it’s for a gambling debt. No one else will lend him any money and his mother can’t without his father finding out about it. She says again that she would have to write it down as an expense and her father would want to know what it was for; Arthur, of course, tells her to fudge the numbers for some of the presents she bought. He threatens her that she’ll be sorry if she doesn’t lend him the money and leaves her shaking and scared.
Later, jack-stones comes up again. She says she can’t play because she would have to sit on the floor. They wonder if she could play if they do it at the table, so she goes to ask her father, and he says that he told her the other day that he forbade her from playing the game, so he banishes her to his dressing-room CLOSET. She cries (52). There is a stool in there, but it’s dark and cold, and she ends up in there for HOURS. He meant to only keep her in there for thirty minutes, max, but then company came in, and he forgot about her.
He forgot about her. See, Elsie? Still abuse.
He notices that she has been crying a good deal (53). She thought she was going to be locked in the closet all night, but she wasn’t afraid, because she knew that he would be in the next room, and God is always with her anyway; besides, she was more upset that she had been so very naughty and can never be good. Oh, this child.
He says that he can’t understand why she can’t learn not to ask about forbidden things. She said that she thought it was only because he didn’t want her sitting on the floor, and indeed, that IS what he said. But she says that isn’t the reason he gave when he asks. Revisionist history here. It IS a reason, he says, but only one. He’s heard that play enlarges the knuckles and he doesn’t want her beautiful hands ruined. Why are you so creepy with your daughter? Also, you heard a . . . rumor? You don’t even fucking know, do you? I hate Horace. He’s a douche.
She admits that it has been hard to have to play camp counselor, essentially, with all the kids, and no one else will help her, and Enna is a trial, and then she’s upset that she has been telling tales. Horace says no, he needs to talk to the older girls, Lora and Louise, and have them pull their weight in entertaining all the little folks, too. All the children have been irritable from the party the night before, so they go to bed early, and Elsie is happy to spend some more quiet time with her boring-ass father, copying out her corrected letter to Miss Rose.
Horace does talk to his sisters, but frames it as if he’s noticed that they haven’t been sharing in entertaining and looking after the young ones, and so they do so, but it’s halfhearted and short-lived, and the burden once again falls on Elsie. So, a few days later, she comes into her father’s room, having had a trying day and seeking comfort from her father. He says she must be tired and she cries (54). She won’t tell him how the whole family has been vexing her though, and she’s upset at herself that she let her father see how upset she was.
Next day, presumably, all the kids go for a walk, and as they are returning to the house, Elsie reaches down at the crest of a hill to pick up a pebble, and Arthur, seeing his chance, runs past her and pushes her so that she falls down the embankment, crying once on the way and then is motionless at the bottom. Some of the littlest ones are afraid that she is dead; Carry takes charge and loosens her bonnet, sends one kid for the doctor and another for her father. The kids are very quick to tell Horace who was near her when she fell, and Arthur is a bit frightened that she seriously injured her. The doctor determines that she sprained her ankle and has a bump on her head, but she’ll be alright; Horace wants to know if her spine is injured in any way - hmm, why, would you withhold your love from a disabled child?
Horace babies her through the evening, letting her have whatever she wants for tea, and lays her in his lap. Meanwhile, the kids discuss whether Arthur was the one who pushed Elsie, and how could anyone want to hurt her – because all the other little kids that DON’T live at Roselands really love her. Back home, Lucy recounts everything to her mother and Herbert and is more than a bit dramatic over it, and then Herbert turns pale as he recalls overhearing Arthur and someone else talking about the gambling debt that Arthur owes and that he was going to get the money from someone, and Herbert put that together with the conversation he heard between Arthur and Elsie. Herbert’s mother says that he needs to tell this story to Arthur’s father, but not just yet, if you’re not up to it; she figures that Horace will try to investigate himself first, so he might figure it out and Herbert won’t have to exert himself today – unfortunately the mischief has already been done, so tomorrow will probably be fine.
Old Dinsmore has been out all day so he doesn’t find out what happened to Elsie until he’s sitting down to tea. He hears the children blaming Arthur and Horace wishes to speak with him in private. They discuss Arthur’s potential hand in Elsie’s injury, and Horace says that either Arthur needs to be sent away to school, or he and Elsie are leaving Roselands. This surprises Dinsmore, Senior, even though he has had knowledge of all the previous bullshit, so . . . how unaware can you be that your son is a menace? Horace adds that it’s not just Arthur, but Enna also, and an adult to whom she continues to carry tales, by which he means, Old Dinsmore’s wife. Horace doesn’t feel that Elsie is safe in the house with Arthur there, and he is relieved that Elsie wasn’t killed or “crippled for life,” his words. Old Dinsmore doesn’t want Horace to leave, though, unless he’s thinking of getting married again, which he isn’t. He has wanted to send Arthur away to school for some time, anyway, and feels that it will be good for him. His mother is the one that keeps fighting against it.
They decide to call all the children together to get to the bottom of it for accuracy, but first they call Arthur in to the library to speak with him, entreating him to confess privately rather than be embarrassed publicly. He refuses, of course, and so they drag him before all the kids, and they all point the finger at him, and Herbert reluctantly shares what he heard about the gambling debt. Lora also has a corroborating note about the debt, and so they lock Arthur in his room until they can send him away to school.
Horace returns to his daughter and places her on his knee, with her ankle propped up, and he reads some Bible verses to her, at her request. She cries (55) and he thinks that the passages have made her sad, but she says, no, they are so beautiful and show how patiently Jesus bore his suffering and forgave those who murdered him. He says that she’s thinking of Arthur and she says that she is praying to forgive him, and is upset when she hears that he will be sent away to school. She tries to intercede for him, but Horace says that it’s for his own good, as well as to keep her safe, until they have a house of their own someday. She wants to say her prayers on her knees, but she must be careful of her ankle, so he puts her in her bed and listens to her murmurings. He hears Arthur’s name and also his, as she once again, prays for her father to love Jesus; he doesn’t understand why she cares so much – it wouldn’t bother him, as long as she loved and obeyed him. But then, papa, you’re never getting into heaven. And just like you punish me when I disobey, God as the ultimate father does the same thing.
The next day, all the little folks troop through to visit with Elsie, and finally only Herbert is left, as he is quiet and doesn’t fatigue her. He reads to her or just sits patiently with her, repaying the favor she has done for him many times. When Horace returns, he has a present for Elsie – a baby doll to replace the one that the little bitch Enna broke a few days prior, as well as some cloth so she can make her own clothes for the doll as he knows that she would like to do. She asks to have some of her friends sent up to her, and they all set to work making clothes for the new doll. Dinsmore sits in the corner, reading and watching them at their sewing.
Most of the company leaves for their own homes over the next few days, and Elsie is only really vexed at not being able to leave the house when the Sabbath rolls around and she cannot go to church. Horace offers to stay home with her, but she entreats him to go, and she will read her Bible and sing hymns at home with Chloe. She wants to give Arthur a present before he leaves – a handsomely bound Bible. He doesn’t come to see her, and wants to refuse the gift, but one of his sisters points out he might need it for lessons, so he keeps it, as it is very nicely bound.
Miss Day, the governess returns, and she can’t go to the schoolroom, so her father offers to teach her her lessons in her room. Travilla comes to visit her often and brings her little gifts, like fruit from his garden, or a book. Other visitors help to amuse her, and of course, her new doll. She’s worried about Enna, though, as she will want it, so she tries to hide it before Enna comes to her room, but one day, Enna takes the doll from her and is playing with it roughly, and unthinkingly, Elsie jumps up to stop the doll from dashing to the floor, and wrenches her ankle afresh. Of course, her father is angry that she rescued the doll, because he would rather have purchased her TEN more dolls than risk her disabling herself for life. (RIGHT, because then she’s useless. Even though she has money, so . . . privileged white girl with a slight limp would not be unsuitable husband material, surely. UGH). She cries (56) and says it was so quick and she didn’t have time to think. He’s pissed at Chloe that she left her alone – NO, dude, fuck off.
Horace gives orders that Enna is not to be allowed to come into Elsie’s room unless he is also there, and Chloe resolves to not leave her alone until she is able to walk again. Which was set back several weeks because of her activity. Several weeks go by and she asks her father if she can go to church next day and he says no, so she cries (57). He takes her off his knee where she had been sitting because he says that he must have CHEERFUL SUBMISSION from his daughter and he doesn’t think she is well enough yet to go to church, and it’s going to rain as well. So?
By the following week, Dr. Dinsmore deems her well enough to go to church with the family, and then the next day, she’s back in the schoolroom, which she isn’t as happy about, but Arthur isn’t there to annoy her anymore, so that helps. And she still does lessons with her father, and so the winter passes.
Elsie’s father gets sick – he’s feverish and sweaty when she comes in after her lessons. She plays nursemaid for him, with Chloe’s help. She sends for the doctor, and he leaves some medicine, but doesn’t think it’s quite serious. The illness does linger for some days, however, and soon it’s the Sabbath again, and he requests her to read from some secular book she had been reading to him the day previous. She goes to get the book, but very slowly, which annoys her father. When she returns to his side with the book, he sees that she is crying (58); she begs not to read from the book on a Sunday. He says that just because she won a point with the song doesn’t mean he’s not going to be obeyed now. She says that the Bible tells us that we are not to read these things on Sundays and he commands her to prove it, and she quotes that same passage from before, and he says it is all nonsense and she will do as she is bid. If he had the strength, he would whip her. Since she will not give her “full, unquestioning obedience” she is banished from his presence; he gives her ten minutes to decide – if she will obey, well and good; if not, she is to leave the room and is not allowed to return unless she acknowledges her fault, asks forgiveness, and pledges “implicit obedience” in the future.
Of course, when the time is up, she cannot obey him in this. She is a perverse, disobedient child, and he pushes her away from him. After she leaves, he mutters to himself that she’s a bit obstinate, just like him, but he’s sure a few days will bring her around. Elsie runs to her room and cries (59), knowing this separation will be terrible, as unless he changes his mind, nothing good will result from this. Chloe comforts her later with Bible verses, and entreats Elsie to eat, but she will not. She is made to go to tea, however, and everyone is mad at her, and Enna says that Horace should whip her, and her grandfather agrees. Even Adelaide ignores her. Elsie worries that her father might be worse.
And of course, for drama, the excitement with Elsie has made Horace’s fever return with a vengeance, and he is actually worse now. He also misses her nursing and worries that perhaps the banishment was not the best course of action to take.
Elsie escapes to the garden, and sees that the doctor has returned to the house. Adelaide tells her that her father is much worse. Elsie cries (60), and her aunt tells her that yeah, she SHOULD cry because it’s all her fault, and if he dies, she’ll be an orphan and it’s all because of her “perverseness.” Finley must have liked that word; she uses it a lot.
Anyway, this little speech overwhelms Elsie and she faints. Adelaide catches her before she falls, and quietly goes in search of Chloe, to help her get Elsie upstairs without exciting any part of the household. Adelaide feel bad that she might have been a bit too cruel – YA THINK? – especially since it takes a bit for Elsie to regain consciousness. When she does, she and Chloe pray for her father. She cries a little as she goes to sleep (61).
The next morning, she wakes up, intending to visit her father, but then remembers the events of yesterday. And cries (62). She tries to find out her father’s condition but no one comes out of her father’s door and she won’t dare to go in. After another sad meal with the family staring daggers at her, she asks Adelaide to ask her father if she can see him for just a moment. She returns with the cold message that she knows what the requirements are. Adelaide advises her to give up and that she will never conquer her father; also, he is getting worse all the time, and her “misconduct” helped to cause this.
On her way to dinner, Adelaide passes her in the hall, and says that the doctor says he is very ill, and he feels that something is distressing him, and SHE knows what that SOMETHING is. Elsie goes back to her room to cry and pray (63). Chloe brings her news through the afternoon and the evening. By nightfall, he has ceased to recognize any of the family members, and they feel he is near death; Adelaide tries to intercede for Elsie to see her father, but everyone knows what his wishes were so she is forbidden to see even her purportedly dying father. She cries herself to sleep (64) that night, finally, after slumber is elusive for many hours.
In the morning, Chloe comes in and says that Horace turned a corner last night; the doctor says that he will get better. Elsie is relieved and thinks how good god is . . . until she remembers that she is still banished from her father’s presence.
Horace recovers, but slowly. He continues to ignore Elsie, but sends along the dictum that she is to return to the classroom. Everyone treats her coldly. She feels as if she has been transported back to the time when she first met her father and he didn’t love her, but now she loves him, OH SO MUCH, and he will not even look at her when he finally comes down to meals again.
A plant she has had bloomed and she tells Chloe that she knows her father would love to see it; she considers that this might be a way to open a reconciliation between the two of them, so she waits until he is alone in his study, plucks the flower, and then goes to his room. She offers her token and he says that her motive for visiting can’t be affection for him, because she couldn’t do her only father the small favor of reading to him and would rather he died than she give up her willfulness. She kneels by his chair, and kisses his hand, bathing it in her tears (65) while sobbing that she loves him and how could he say something so cruel to her? He pulls his hand away and essentially accuses her of lying, and that he knows she’s been crying too much in the schoolroom, and if she continues to do so, he will punish her. She will only receive his affection again when she fully submits to his authority and not until then.
Chloe doesn’t need to ask how it went when Elsie returns to her room; and Elsie tries to stop crying, because Papa forbids it, but her heart is breaking, so how can she not be upset? And she begins to cry afresh (66). Chloe reminds her to rest her burdens in Jesus, and Elsie asks her to pray for her.
Elsie realizes that she had been too engrossed with the “earthly love” of her father of late, and that this trial would bring her closer to her heavenly father; so much time that was spent in her father’s company is now expended in studying her Bible and praying to god. Everyone continues to be mean to her, and she shies away from their company and doesn’t want to go for walks or rides anymore, but Horace’s attention is called to it by his step-mother – Elsie has become pale from staying inside too much, and he calls Elsie to him, merely to yell at her that she must walk and ride every day, weather permitting, but no further than the garden if going alone.
Just like when Horace first returned, he only speaks to her to command or rebuke her, and he is harsh when he addresses her. Her health begins to suffer.
Travilla, who had gone out of town during the early days of Horace’s illness, returns to Ion and decides to call on his friend to see how he is faring. He makes a comment about Elsie and Horace deflects; then Travilla says he has a little gift for her and Horace says that she has been a stubborn and rebellious girl and doesn’t deserve any gifts. Travilla is surprised to hear this. Horace says that he has had to banish her from his presence, but oh, he can’t banish her from his heart.
I should hope not, ya douche. She is your daughter, after all.
Travilla, on his way home, ponders whether he can help affect a reconciliation between the two.
A few days later, she gets sad seeing her father through a doorway and how drawn he still looks, and runs into Adelaide, who tells her, once again, that this is all her fault, with her “perverse, obstinate ways.” Elsie runs into the garden, passing by Travilla, and he catches her by the dress and asks her to come sit with him and tell him about her troubles. He puts her on his knee, embraces her, and kisses her like her father would, as she cries (67). They talk about her disobedience and he says the Bible says children should obey their parents; she counters that the bible also says to obey god rather than men, and sometimes her father makes her disobey God. Travilla says that she is a bit too young to judge for herself about right and wrong in these matters, so she should leave these sorts of decisions to her olders and betters, like her father. Also, if her father is bidding her to do something and it turns out to be wrong, the responsibility would be his, then, not hers.
Elsie argues that the bible says that everyone must give account of themselves to god and that the “soul that sinneth it shall die,” which means that she will have to give account for her sins, and presumably, that obeying her father in this manner is a sin that she must also account for. Travilla is uncomfortable, as he is not as well-versed in Biblical matters as she, but he knows that her father is a good man, and bothers him that the two of them are at odds over this. He asks her what she did wrong and she tells him, and once again, he says that seems like a very little sin and that god shouldn’t be that angry about it. Elsie says that every sin deserves the wrath and curse of God. And it has been so hard to keep from giving in and doing what her conscience says is wrong.
Her father comes down the walk, and out of his own jealousy, perhaps, seeing his daughter in his friend’s arms rather than his own, he is very stern when he sends her to her room for crying again. Travilla tries to explain how she came to be sitting with him, and Horace says that he is probably going to have to be very severe in order to “conquer” her. Travilla argues in her favor and says that she really knows a lot of her scripture; Horace gets uppity and says that the fifth commandment should be enough. Travilla replies that he didn’t say that Horace was wrong, but that he might be going about this the wrong way, as the child seems to be acting her principle, not just rebellion or obstinance.
Horace gets indignant and says he will never give up. “I WILL conquer her! I will break HER WILL, though in doing so I break my own heart.” And hers too, says Travilla, quietly. Horace doesn’t believe that, though, or she would have given up long ago.
Which shows he really doesn’t know his daughter after all, right?
A woman comes to visit Horace and remarks that his daughter is looking a bit ill, too. He gets a little pissy about her remark, but when he next sees his daughter he is surprised that he had not noticed how thin and pale she had become. Self-absorbed Horace, again. How are you NOT seeing this? You live in the same house. You eat meals at the same table. Fuck you.
He calls Elsie to him, and she is scared and trembling when she approaches, which, of course, displeases him. She says he is stern to her all the time and she is frightened. He says he didn’t intend to be – this time – but wants to know if she is ill. She is not, but she is wanting her father’s love. He says she can have it, if she begs forgiveness and promises to be always obedient in future. She says only if it doesn’t break God’s commandments, and he says that does not do, and threatens her with boarding school, then banishes her from the room.
Adelaide comes in and sees him in distress and he ponders aloud if he should beat Elsie and Adelaide says that would probably break Elsie’s heart completely and he should think of something else. But oh, he had to really fight to not embrace her just now. Adelaide says she doesn’t know what he should do, but giving up isn’t the way. He agrees, because when Elsie is older, he will want to take her to the theatre or a ball, and with these kinds of notions in her head, they will be too deep to eradicate them, and he won’t be able to punish her in the same way. This is where I wonder if Martha Finley was a weird little kinky wildcard – we’ll talk about this later.
Adelaide has thought of something – send Chloe away. Chloe seems to strengthen Elsie’s ridiculous hold on her faith, so maybe that would help? Horace is reluctant, because Chloe has been such a “faithful creature,” (UGH) and it would break both their hearts, but he feels he has to try something.
The next morning, a letter comes for Elsie, but before Pompey can hand it to her, her father intercepts it and says that from now on, all of Elsie’s letters will be brought to him instead. Not only does he confiscate the letter, he OPENS IT IN FRONT OF HER AND READS IT, then when he looks up and sees her crying (68) he sends her out of the room.
She feels resentful toward her father but tries to quash that because it is not honoring her father, and he has his reasons. She just needs to be submissive and good and he will give it to her. Later, she tries to get the letter and he says that she can have that, and his love and affection again, as soon as she proves her obedience and begs his forgiveness. She walks away but he calls her back and says that, effective immediately, any letters she receives will be taken by him, and she is not allowed to send any letters, either, until she is more “dutiful.” If she is not a better girl in a few weeks, he will take it upon himself to write to Miss Rose and tell her what a terrible child Elsie is. So, is he going to lie about the circumstances? Because Rose is a similarly-minded religious person to Elsie so I wonder if she would think badly of Elsie for this or not. Elsie worries that Rose will think she is a bad child and her father says that would be a just opinion of her and all of her other friends will also not love her any more if she keeps this up.
Then he grabs her and embraces her and asks why she won’t give up this willfulness. Her father’s heart aches for her, and he can’t do without her. All she needs to do is to be dutiful. Why can’t she? Elsie wavers a moment – it would be so easy, wouldn’t it? Her precious papa’s love. But Jesus’ love was more precious still. She tells him that she must keep Jesus’ commandments and he puts her off his knee and says she is too young to judge these matters, and that her father commands her to obey, and he will find any means necessary to conquer her.
An older visitor to the house notices her and asks about her and Enna says that she is a naughty girl and doesn’t “mind her papa.” The old man, Mr. Grier, feels like this can’t be true, she seems too meek and quiet, so he follows her next day to the enslaved people’s quarters, where Elsie goes to read to an older ill woman named Dinah, who has gone blind and is bedridden. Elsie reads from the gospel of John and says that she is a great sinner, which Dinah tries to tell her she isn’t, but Elsie persists that she has a wicked heart. She also convinces Dinah that she can also be saved and go to heaven. Then she prays for her. This scene convinces Mr. Grier that she seems to be in disgrace for some reason with her whole family – it’s evident even to a visitor apparently – but what is the real issue? He knows there is no way he can pry but he can pray for her, and he resolves to do so. Of course, as contrivance would have it, he comes upon her reading her Bible in the garden and crying, of course. He gives her some advice, and tells her that if her father really is commanding her to disobey god, then god has sent this trial for her to bear and she must pray and be patient. He will pray for her as well.
Upon her return to the house, her father bids her come to him in his study. He says that as she continues to be rebellious, he has stepped up her punishments., to wit: she must eat all her meals in her room; meals will be extremely plain, no special items; her allowance is suspended and no books except her Bible and schoolbooks; she is not allowed to pay calls or receive any visitors. She is not to go to anyone else’s room except her own and the schoolroom. She is allowed outside to the garden for her daily exercise, with an enslaved person for company. In the classroom, no one is allowed to speak to her except Miss Day. These punishments will remain in effect until she begs his forgiveness, and promises complete obedience to him.
So basically, Elsie is a prisoner in her own home. That’ll learn her, Horace. She cries of course, and he asks her once more if she won’t do what he requires now and spare them both further pain. She cannot, so she is banished to her room. She reads her Bible even more and finds more solace in it.
Elsie is also allowed to go to church, lest the Dinsmores incite talk or something, because she’s always there otherwise. She cries in the church during the sermon when she catches sight of her father’s careworn face. He is embarrassed by her and upbraids her when they get home. He threatens to take church away from her too, but she begs him not to, so instead, he gives her no dinner, and says that if she does it again, he will whip her.
Meanwhile, Horace has the opportunity to purchase his own estate near his father’s. He begins spreading his wealth out to fix it up to his liking, which starts the rumor mill again that he’s going to get married. Horace tells Adelaide that he will send Chloe there to keep house for him; he intends to end this clash of egos with Elsie before he keeps his own house, hoping that this will be an enticing prospect to her.
So, the day after he sends Elsie to her room and threatens a whip for the next infraction, he sends for Chloe and tells her that he’s sending her to the new plantation. She is very upset when she discovers that Elsie is not going with her, thinking that she must have done something wrong, but he explains that he feels it is best for the time being for them to be apart. He leaves it to poor Chloe to break the news to Elsie. Elsie tries to intercede for Chloe with Horace, but he has left the house and Chloe is to go to the new place immediately after the meal, so there is no time to try.
Elsie has never been alone before; she is very upset to be separated from Chloe. Horace comes in while she is sighing and crying out on the balcony and says that she must think he is a very cruel father to do this. She says No, because he has a right to do whatever he wants, as she belongs to him, but she can’t help but feel sad and cry over it. He says that crying under these circumstances is understandable, and the reason he sent Chloe away is because he feels that she has encouraged Elsie in her “rebellion,” so they must be apart until Elsie is “submissive” and “obedient.”
Elsie says that Chloe tells her all the time to obey her father’s wishes or commands unless they contradict god’s word, and he says, aha, that’s just it. They’ve put the idea in your head that you are wiser and better at interpreting the Bible than your own father and that’s what I need to get out of you.
She sobs that she is lonely and asks for a sit on his knee, or a kiss. He does both, very quickly, then puts her down and walks away. Elsie sinks to her knees and weeps.
Adelaide comes to visit her and while she agrees that Horace needs to take Elsie in hand, she feels that reading correspondence from Rose Allison would not do any harm, so she has brought a letter to Elsie that was enclosed in the same envelope as Adelaide’s. Elsie says that she cannot take it without her father’s permission; Adelaide says he won’t know about it – she’s not going to tell him, and she can always destroy it after reading so no one will find it. Elsie begs her to take it away so she won’t be tempted; Adelaide feels that this is because Elsie doesn’t trust her, but that’s not it. We know Elsie’s scruples. Adelaide is confused at how she can be obedient and disobedient at the same time. Elsie tries to explain, but Adelaide doesn’t have any more time for her, and leaves her alone once more.
Adelaide goes to her brother’s room, and tells him what just transpired. Horace asks to have Elsie sent to him at once. She, of course, thinks that this is a punishment, but Horace gives her the newest letter from Rose, as well as the one he had pocketed after reading it in front of her recently. He will also allow her to write one back in answer to both, and she will be allowed to go around the house and grounds without restriction, her books and toys will be returned, and she can take meals with the family when she chooses to do so. Elsie realizes that this is not a restoration to full favor as she had hoped. And indeed, he asks her again, if she will make the confession and promises he requires, and of course, she cannot, so he banishes her and says that is the last physical affection she will receive, until she submits.
Elsie cries so hard she makes herself ill, and the new enslaved person that is taking care of her, Fanny, runs to get Horace, thinking she is dying. Horace ministers to her and sternly tells her to stop crying so hard. He returns to his room and says that he needs to leave the house for a bit, so that he does not yield.
Elsie sees the trunks next morning and finds out from one of the enslaved people that Horace is going up North for a time. He tells her that he will return the minute she writes to him the words he desires, but until then, he’s out. He doesn’t even kiss her goodbye.
Let’s speed through this a little bit, eh?
She cries, she grows pale and thin, barely speaks to anyone. Adelaide gets concerned but Mrs. Dinsmore says Elsie is fine, it’s just hot out. Travilla visits and is also concerned by what he sees. His mother visits on a day when everyone else is out. Elsie doesn’t cry much anymore – she’s just dull and depressed, and thinks that god is angry with her because she loved her papa too well. After Mrs. Travilla’s visit, Elsie settles deeper into her suffering – for Jesus.
She comforts Adelaide through the death of a man she had been in love with, but couldn’t marry because the family didn’t approve. Elsie is tempted several times to write to her father and submit to him. He includes thoughts about her in a postscript to a letter he wrote to Adelaide in his travels. So Elsie is a bit comforted that her dickish father still cares about her, despite their estrangement . . . that he caused . . .
He further teases her with a letter to her about the house he was building for them, and his plans for their future – but of course, dependent on her entire, unconditional submission. And if she continues to be stubborn, he threatens to send her to a boarding school. He had forbidden her to communicate with Chloe or visit the new home, called the Oaks, but now he wants her to go see all of it and then make her decision. She goes, and meets with Chloe, who gives her the grand tour of the place. Elsie cries the whole time. Before she leaves, she points out the window to a tree, and says that she wants to be buried underneath it, which alarms Chloe.
At home, Adelaide comes to her and they talk about Horace coming to know god, as Adelaide has recently done. But then she also has to share a message that she was bade to do by Horace, if Elsie decided not to obey her father. Horace is going to send her to a convent school. *dun dun dun* Oh, noes, not the Catholics! Elsie shrieks. I’d rather die than go to mass and pray to the virgin and bow to crucifixes – because she knows that those who don’t obey the nuns get put in a dungeon and are tortured!!!! I want to know who put THIS bullshit in her head.
The shock of the convent threat throws Elsie into a bout of fever; Mrs. Dinsmore is afraid that it is contagious and she bundles the whole family out of the house early for their summer trip. The only one who stays behind is Adelaide. Mrs. Travilla comes to assist as well, and they send for Chloe from the other plantation. Elsie is delirious and screams about the convent, and thrashes wildly about, all “brain fever” symptoms. Adelaide writes to Horace. Elsie recovers a little, but continues very pale and weak, losing strength by the day. The doctor starts to give up hope. Horace doesn’t arrive, despite Adelaide’s multiple letters.
Elsie asks Adelaide to help her write her last will and testament; she gives away all her earthly things, and has a packet and her Bible for her father. She has some very melodramatic conversation with her aunt about how sinful she has been, having a bit of rage in her heart against her father TWO times. Elsie’s fever returns and she is incoherent and tosses and turns. The doctor says the only hope would be to shave her head. Elsie is lucid enough to scream that her father will punish her for cutting off her hair. But it’s not looking good.
Meanwhile, Horace didn’t get the letters at first because he had changed addresses and the mail was delayed; once he got them, however, he was extremely alarmed, and set out immediately to return to Roselands. He realizes what a dick he has been. He tries to assure himself that Elsie is so young, surely she can’t be THAT sick. His sister’s most recent letter hadn’t reached him, so he is SHOCKED at what a horrific state his little daughter is in. When he comes into the room, Elsie draws back from him and screams that he is here to take her away. The doctor has to shoo him out, and begs him to stay away from the room, because the shock and fear of his presence could definitely kill her. The doctor is mostly out of hope, anyway, but now? It’s extremely unlikely. The doctor says that he should pray.
Horace realizes that he has been extremely wrong in, well, everything. He sneaks into a corner of Elsie’s room and hears her swing wildly between seeming lucidity and insanity. She still doesn’t recognize her own father, so he is once again banished from the room. He paces his room all night, and finally throws himself down on his knees and cries to god to be merciful to him, for he is a sinner.
Next morning, Adelaide tells him that Elsie is about the same, and gives him Elsie’s Bible, in case it would bring him comfort; he sees all of the pages that have been marked in pencil, and those that have been warped by her tears. He starts to read it to feel closer to her, as it was always in her hands, but then he begins to feel the importance of the passages. Elsie’s fever leaves her, and is calm, but then they realize that it is the calmness of death. Adelaide tells her brother and gives him the packet that Elsie had given to her. As they are preparing to attend to the body, however, Mrs. Travilla thinks she sees an eyelid twitch. The doctor hurries back upstairs and applies some restorative measures and Elsie is alive. They continue to monitor for a bit until they are sure that she isn’t going to die again, before they think to go inform her father.
Meanwhile, Horace reads the letter that Elsie had written to him. She also had left him a lock of her hair. In the letter she asks his forgiveness and says that he shouldn’t be upset with himself, or think himself too severe in his treatment, because he owns her and it is his right.
Ugh.
The doctor comes in and tells him that Elsie is alive. However, they keep Horace away from her for a little while longer, to avoid any shock to her system. They decide to wait until Elsie asks about her father herself. When she does, it seems like she has reverted to the time before Horace had come home the first time. So, they play along. At some point, Elsie starts to regain her memories. She is afraid that he’s going to send her away, but he tells her that he has now learned to love Jesus, and they are now traveling on the same path, just as she always desired.
Elsie slowly regains her strength, and when she ready to be taken in a carriage, Horace takes her to their new home, and Mrs. Murray, the old housekeeper, is waiting for them there.
So they move to the Oaks, and Elsie is still a bit forgetful, as children are, but Horace’s punishments are a lot lighter than before.
Another Christmas, but much more subdued. Travilla gives Elsie a pearl ring. And at dinner, he jokes with Horace that he (Horace) needs a hostess for the home. Horace says that Elsie can supply that place in a few years, and besides, he doesn’t have one. Travilla, though, has his mom for right now, and he “can afford to wait for Elsie.” Elsie naively says that she’s never leaving her father, and he promised not to give her away to anyone else, so he needs to look elsewhere for a little girl. (Oh, ew).
Finally, spring arrives and the doctor suggests taking Elsie on a trip so they make plans to go North for the summer, visiting historic places and also Rose. They miss Rose a few times, but then run into her and her brother, Edward. Horace and Elsie are invited to spend a long visit at Rose and Edward’s home. Horace is judgy that the rest of the children eat whatever they want and are allowed to drink coffee; Rose’s younger sister, Sophy, tries to get Elsie to talk after they go to bed, but she CANNOT disobey her father, even in something as little as that, so goodnight, Sophy.
They stay for two months and there’s some incident where the schoolkids try to get the Allison kids to go strawberry picking. They will let the kids go as long as Horace lets Elsie go, so Sophy says that if Elsie can coax enough, they’ll be sure to go. She tries this, and he says no, he doesn’t approve. Elsie cries and she send her up to his room until she can compose herself. Later, he does explain his reasoning – it would be too tiring for her, she is not strong enough yet, etc. And in the meantime, he has been planning an alternative for the whole family to go out, in carriages, and head to a place where they can get berries and cream, and they’ll bring a picnic and spend the day in the woods. So they do, and everyone has a great time.
Another incident brings her in late with the other children, and it is not her fault, and Horace isn’t even home, but she insists that she will only have dry bread for her meal as that is what her father would make her do if he had been there. He heartily approves of this of course, but then he also gives her a very pretty and expensive watch so that she can keep the time.
The next day, they leave Elmgrove, but Rose and Edward accompany them for a part of their journey through New England and New York state. They start this visit and there is some historical detail in here about battlefields and such, and Rose seems to be getting closer to Horace. Little naïve Elsie doesn’t think much of it, as she wants her father to love Rose as much as she does already.
The End. FINALLY OMG
[break]
While one would think that priggish Elsie Dinsmore should have stayed in her time period, in 1999, Zondervan Press, a Christian publisher, adapted some of the Elsie books into versions for children. There was even a line of dolls for a brief period. These versions of the books have changed the dialogue of the enslaved people in the book to standard English, as well as toned down some of the violence – the scene where Elsie is nearly beaten has been removed, for example. However, the main sanctimonious thrust of the books is still there. I have not read the adaptations myself, but it appears they were quite popular among certain homeschooled families – who probably will never hear this podcast because I curse and talk about inappropriate things, so I will posit my reasons for why they like these books.
To skip ahead a bit in Elsie’s timeline, as you might guess from my “ew” comments, Travilla eventually marries Elsie (I think in book 3 or 4). He says that he has loved her since he first knew her . . . which was at eight years old. At the time they marry I believe he’s already in his thirties and she’s about eighteen. The large age discrepancy tends to be a pattern with fundies. And she also continues to seek her father’s counsel over her husband even after they are married. Once a headship, always a headship, amIright? Elsie’s persecution complex mirrors how a lot of fundies feel today when people say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas.
Many Christian Evangelicals tend to be racist, as we have seen in the past few years when they have said the quiet parts out loud, under a certain orange wannabe dictator. So these books are right up their alley. The romanticized view of the South as genteel and that these can’t be “bad slaveowners” because they treat them well and even have secretly educated them.
Her father is a bit too close for comfort; he kisses her on the lips, they talk about each other like lovers separated when they’re apart from each other. If Horace were a modern Evangelical, he would have given Elsie a purity ring and taken her to a ball. *shudder*
But honestly, to me, and if you’re a regular listener you know my brain tends to go weird places, I’m gonna go all out and say that the Elsie Dinsmore books are a form of obedience porn. Martha Finley was dabbling in some Victorian-era BDSM, which goes a bit sidewise when you consider it’s a bit incestuous. The terminology of “complete submission,” “breaking her will,” and so forth? Who the fuck talks like that about their child? Perhaps this is some coded fetish lit? There were other anonymous authors writing about this sort of thing, even amongst younger children, in publications like The Pearl, during this time.
If you thought that these two books were a doozy, doing research for these episodes reminded me of other crazy shit that happens in the future volumes – like meeting the KKK, and Elsie having a dangerous engagement (before Edward). But this two-parter has gone on long enough, so I will bid you adieu.
Well, that’s the show. Please like, subscribe, rate, all that good stuff. The Forgotten Library is available on most podcast aggregators. There’s a Twitter account, which I try to post on, and also a Facebook page. Transcripts and source materials are available on the website, and if you enjoy what I do and would like to show some appreciation, you can Buy Me a Coffee – think of it as a little tip jar that takes Stripe. Links for all of this are in the show description.
Until next time, I’m Nikki Gee, your intrepid library haunter.
References
Rost, Virginia Haggard, "Martha Finley's fiction for girls." (1943). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2113. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/2113