FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278  
279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   >>   >|  
e it, (just as your own physician does, inestimable reader, as you will see, if you look at his next prescription,) and departed, saying he would look in occasionally. After this, the Latin tutor began the usual course of "getting better," until he got so much better that his face was very sharp, and when he smiled, three crescent lines showed at each side of his lips, and when he spoke; it was in a muffled whisper, and the white of his eye glistened as pearly as the purest porcelain, --so much better, that he hoped--by spring--he--might be able--to--attend------to his class again.--But he was recommended not to expose himself, and so kept his chamber, and occasionally, not having anything to do, his bed. The unmarried sister with whom he lived took care of him; and the child, now old enough to be manageable and even useful in trifling offices, sat in the chamber, or played, about. Things could not go on so forever, of course. One morning his face was sunken and his hands were very, very cold. He was "better," he whispered, but sadly and faintly. After a while he grew restless and seemed a little wandering. His mind ran on his classics, and fell back on the Latin grammar. "Iris!" he said,--"filiola mea!"--The child knew this meant my dear little daughter as well as if it had been English.--"Rainbow!" for he would translate her name at times,--"come to me,--veni"--and his lips went on automatically, and murmured, "vel venito!"--The child came and sat by his bedside and took his hand, which she could not warm, but which shot its rays of cold all through her slender frame. But there she sat, looking steadily at him. Presently he opened his lips feebly, and whispered, "Moribundus." She did not know what that meant, but she saw that there was something new and sad. So she began to cry; but presently remembering an old book that seemed to comfort him at times, got up and brought a Bible in the Latin version, called the Vulgate. "Open it," he said,--"I will read, segnius irritant,--don't put the light out,--ah! hoeret lateri,--I am going,--vale, vale, vale, goodbye, good-bye,--the Lord take care of my child! Domine, audi--vel audito!" His face whitened suddenly, and he lay still, with open eyes and mouth. He had taken his last degree. --Little Miss Iris could not be said to begin life with a very brilliant rainbow over her, in a worldly point of view. A limited wardrobe of man's attire, such as poor tutors w
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278  
279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
chamber
 

whispered

 

occasionally

 

called

 

Vulgate

 

remembering

 

comfort

 

brought

 

version

 
presently

bedside

 

physician

 

slender

 

Moribundus

 

feebly

 

opened

 

steadily

 
Presently
 
brilliant
 
rainbow

Little

 

degree

 

worldly

 

attire

 

tutors

 

limited

 

wardrobe

 

hoeret

 
lateri
 

irritant


venito
 
goodbye
 

whitened

 
audito
 
suddenly
 
Domine
 

segnius

 

inestimable

 
unmarried
 
sister

trifling
 

offices

 

manageable

 
expose
 
recommended
 

glistened

 

pearly

 

purest

 

whisper

 

showed