FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   83   84   85   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   >>   >|  
se's legs and spoiled the game by throwing him headlong. She did not see, or at least did not notice, but hastening on, entered the fields. In coming to town that morning she had seen everything; now, returning in her anger and annoyance, she took no heed of anything; she was so absorbed that when a man--one of those she met going to the fair for the evening--turned back and followed her some way, she did not observe him. Finding that she walked steadily on, the fellow soon ceased to pursue. The gloom had settled when she reached home, and the candles were lit. She gave her father the sovereign, and was leaving the room, hoping to escape questioning, when Mrs. Iden asked who had the prize-guinea. "I did," said Amaryllis, very quietly and reluctantly. "Where is it? Why didn't you say so? Let me see," said Mrs. Iden. "I--I--I lost it," said Amaryllis. "You lost it! Lost a guinea! A spade-guinea!" "What!" said Iden in his sternest tones. "Show it immediately." "I can't; I lost it." "Lost it!" And they poured upon her a cross-fire of anger: a careless, wasteful hussy, an idle wretch; what did she do for her living that she could throw away spade-guineas? what would her grandfather say? how did she suppose they were to keep her, and she not earn the value of a bonnet-string? time she was apprenticed to a dressmaker; the quantity she ate, and never could touch any fat--dear me, so fine--bacon was not good enough for her--she could throw away spade-guineas. Poor Amaryllis stood by the half-open door, her hat in her hand, her bosom heaving, her lips apart and pouting, not with indignation but sheer misery; her head drooped, her form seemed to lose its firmness and sink till she stooped; she could not face them as she would have done others, because you see she loved them, and she had done her best that day till too sorely tried. The storm raged on; finally Iden growled "Better get out of sight." Then she went to her bedroom, and sat on the bed; presently she lay down, and sobbed silently on the pillow, after which she fell asleep, quite worn out, dark circles under her eyes. In the silence of the house, the tom-tom and blare of brazen instruments blown at the fair two miles away was audible. CHAPTER XIX. So there was tribulation in three houses. Next morning she scarcely dared come in to breakfast, and opened the door timidly, expecting heavy looks, and to be snapped up if she spoke. Inst
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   83   84   85   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Amaryllis

 

guinea

 

guineas

 
morning
 
sorely
 

indignation

 
pouting
 

misery

 

firmness

 

stooped


heaving
 

drooped

 

presently

 

tribulation

 

houses

 
CHAPTER
 

instruments

 

audible

 

scarcely

 
snapped

breakfast

 
opened
 

timidly

 

expecting

 

brazen

 

bedroom

 

growled

 
finally
 

Better

 

sobbed


silently

 

circles

 

silence

 

pillow

 

asleep

 

observe

 

Finding

 

walked

 

evening

 

turned


steadily

 

fellow

 

candles

 

father

 

reached

 

settled

 
ceased
 

pursue

 

notice

 

hastening