 the most substantial parishioners, and in
the family traditions - such as, obedience to parents, faithfulness to kindred,
industry, rigid honesty, thrift, the thorough scouring of wooden and copper
utensils, the hoarding of coins likely to disappear from the currency, the
production of first-rate commodities for the market, and the general preference
for whatever was home-made. The Dodsons were a very proud race, and their pride
lay in the utter frustration of all desire to tax them with a breach of
traditional duty or propriety. A wholesome pride in many respects, since it
identified honour with perfect integrity, thoroughness of work, and faithfulness
to admitted rules: and society owes some worthy qualities in many of her members
to mothers of the Dodson class, who made their butter and their fromenty well,
and would have felt disgraced to make it otherwise. To be honest and poor was
never a Dodson motto, still less to seem rich though being poor; rather, the
family badge was to be honest and rich; and not only rich, but richer than was
supposed. To live respected, and have the proper bearers at your funeral, was an
achievement of the ends of existence that would be entirely nullified if, on the
reading of your will, you sank in the opinion of your fellow-men, either by
turning out to be poorer than they expected, or by leaving your money in a
capricious manner, without strict regard to degrees of kin. The right thing must
always be done towards kindred. The right thing was to correct them severely, if
they were other than a credit to the family, but still not to alienate from them
the smallest rightful share in the family shoe-buckles and other property. A
conspicuous quality in the Dodson character was its genuineness: its vices and
virtues alike were phases of a proud, honest egoism, which had a hearty dislike
to whatever made against its own credit and interest, and would be frankly hard
of speech to inconvenient »kin,« but would never forsake or ignore them - would
not let them want bread, but only require them to eat it with bitter herbs.
    The same sort of traditional belief ran in the Tulliver veins, but it was
carried in richer blood, having elements of generous imprudence, warm affection,
and hot-tempered rashness. Mr. Tulliver's grandfather had been heard to say that
he was descended from one Ralph Tulliver, a wonderfully clever fellow, who had
ruined himself. It is likely enough that the clever Ralph was a high liver, rode
spirited horses, and was very decidedly of his
