“What I mean is,” pursued Georgiana, “that Ma being so endowed with awfulness, and Pa being so endowed with awfulness, and there being so much awfulness everywhere⁠—I mean, at least, everywhere where I am⁠—perhaps it makes me who am so deficient in awfulness, and frightened at it⁠—I say it very badly⁠—I don’t know whether you can understand what I mean?”

“Perfectly, dearest Georgiana!” Mrs. Lammle was proceeding with every reassuring wile, when the head of that young lady suddenly went back against the wall again and her eyes closed.