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Good evening and welcome to the sleepy book shelf,

where we put down our worries from the day and pick up a good book.

I'm your host, Elizabeth. Thank you for coming to the bookshelf tonight. This evening we are returning to Cranford, but before we do, take some time to just be present.

Start off by taking one deep breath, in through your nose and out through your mouth.

I invite you to gently close your eyes and notice where your body is,

the positioning of it and how you're feeling physically.

Do you have any tension anywhere?

If so, mindfully allow that to soften or adjust your body if that helps

before coming to a stillness. Now take your awareness to your environment, to the environment,

sounds around you disappear and reappear. Can you create any images in your mind to match these sounds?

What are they?

Now bring your focus back to the sound of my voice and settle into the story as I recap her last episode.

After Miss Jenkins is death,

her sister, Miss Matty, took all her sister's preferences to heart, even requesting

that everyone call her Miss Matilda now as Deborah had always hated the nickname

Matty. The responsibility of running the house overwhelmed her and her old maid had often taken advantage of her mistress's leniency.

When she left, and Miss Matilda needed to train up a new maid, Martha,

she was even more beside herself.

...