FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110  
111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   >>   >|  
rew his sleeve across his eyes, to disperse the watery film which had gathered over them while Mr L---- was speaking. "But come, Hallings," said the latter, quickly changing the subject that had struck painfully on a too sensitive chord in the old man's heart--"I am come not only to visit you and your flowers, but my old friend, Celia; and I have promised, in her name, a frothing glass of red cow's milk, fresh from the pail, to this gentleman, Mr Hervey, who complained of thirst in our way hither." Recovering from his momentary emotion, the master of the cottage threw open its latched door, and respectfully made way for us to enter the little carpeted parlour, where his well-assorted partner (my friend's friend, Celia) sat smoothing her apron, in expectation of the visitors, the sound of whose voices had reached her through the open casement. The comely dame who rose up at our entrance, and dropt to each a curtsy that would not have dishonoured the patrician graces of her revered lady and prototype, the late Mrs Eleanor Devereux, was still comely for her years--"fat, fair, and sixty" and exhibiting, in her prim neatness of person, the antiquated but becoming fashion of her dress, and her profound respectfulness, untinctured by anything like cringing servility to those she considered her superiors, no unfavourable specimen of the housekeeper and waiting-woman of former days--of a class now almost extinct, as the times in which it flourished are accounted obsolete--when better feelings, and more Christian principles than those which loosely huddle up our modern mercenary compacts, based and cemented the mutual obligations of masters and servants, of the great and their dependants--when there was dignity in the humblest servitude, and meekness in the most absolute authority--self-respect on both sides, and the fear of God above all. The cottage parlour contained the unusual luxury of a sofa, from which Mrs Hallings affected to brush, with her snowy apron, the dust that could scarce have been perceptible to "microscopic eye," as she courteously begged us to be seated; and her husband, as he shook up one of the end cushions to make the corner seat, into which L---- had thrown himself, more commodious, said, smiling, as he addressed himself to me,--"You may well wonder to see such a piece of furniture in a poor man's house, sir, but my poor master had it put for me into my own room at the Hall, when I had my first fit
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110  
111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

friend

 

parlour

 

comely

 
master
 
cottage
 

Hallings

 
servants
 

waiting

 

specimen

 

servitude


meekness
 

unfavourable

 

humblest

 

dignity

 

dependants

 
masters
 

housekeeper

 

cemented

 

flourished

 
Christian

extinct

 
feelings
 

accounted

 

obsolete

 

absolute

 

principles

 

compacts

 
mutual
 

obligations

 

mercenary


modern

 

loosely

 

huddle

 

commodious

 

thrown

 

smiling

 

addressed

 

corner

 

cushions

 

furniture


husband

 

seated

 

contained

 

unusual

 

luxury

 

respect

 
affected
 

microscopic

 

courteously

 

begged