CHAPTER I - OUR SOCIETY
IN the first place, Cranford is in possession of the Amazons; all the
holders of houses above a certain rent are women. If a married couple
come to settle in the town, somehow the gentleman disappears; he is
either fairly frightened to death by being the only man in the Cranford
evening parties, or he is accounted for by being with his regiment, his
ship, or closely engaged in business all the week in the great
neighbouring commercial town of Drumble, distant only twenty miles
on a railroad. In short, whatever does become of the gentlemen, they
are not at Cranford. What could they do if they were there? The
surgeon has his round of thirty miles, and sleeps at Cranford; but every
man cannot be a surgeon. For keeping the trim gardens full of choice
flowers without a weed to speck them; for frightening away little boys
who look wistfully at the said flowers through the railings; for rushing
out at the geese that occasionally venture in to the gardens if the gates
are left open; for deciding all questions of literature and politics without
troubling themselves with unnecessary reasons or arguments; for
obtaining clear and correct knowledge of everybody\'s affairs in the
parish; for keeping their neat maid-servants in admirable order; for
kindness (somewhat dictatorial) to the poor, and real tender good offices
to each other whenever they are in distress, the ladies of Cranford are
quite sufficient. "A man," as one of them observed to me once, "is SO
in the way in the house!" Although the ladies of Cranford know all
each other\'s proceedings, they are exceedingly indifferent to each other\'s
opinions. Indeed, as each has her own individuality, not to say
eccentricity, pretty strongly developed, nothing is so easy as verbal
retaliation; but, somehow, good-will reigns among them to a
considerable degree.