FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   309   310   311  
312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   >>   >|  
observed that two or three mistakes in spelling had been corrected, either in another pen or in a different hand. "Dear brother Dick, how good in him!" cried the widow. "When I saw there was money, I thought it must be him. How I should like to see Dick again. But I s'pose he's still in Amerikay. Well, well, this will buy clothes for you." "No; you must keep it all, mother, and put it in the Savings' Bank." "I'm not quite so silly as that," cried Mrs. Fairfield, with contempt; and she put the fifty pounds into a cracked teapot. "It must not stay there when I'm gone. You may be robbed, mother." "Dear me, dear me, that's true. What shall I do with it?--what do I want with it, too! Dear me! I wish they hadn't sent it. I shan't sleep in peace. You must e'en put it in your own pouch, and button it up tight, boy." Lenny smiled, and took the note; but he took it to Mr. Dale, and begged him to put it into the Savings' Bank for his mother. The day following he went to take leave of his master, of Jackeymo, of the fountain, the garden. But, after he had gone through the first of these adieus with Jackeymo,--who, poor man, indulged in all the lively gesticulations of grief which make half the eloquence of his countrymen; and then, absolutely blubbering, hurried away--Leonard himself was so affected that he could not proceed at once to the house, but stood beside the fountain, trying hard to keep back his tears. "You, Leonard--and you are going!" said a soft voice; and the tears fell faster than ever, for he recognized the voice of Violante. "Do not cry," continued the child, with a kind of tender gravity. "You are going, but papa says it would be selfish in us to grieve, for it is for your good; and we should be glad. But I am selfish, Leonard, and I do grieve. I shall miss you sadly." "You, young lady--you miss me!" "Yes. But I do not cry, Leonard, for I envy you, and I wish I were a boy: I wish I could do as you." The girl clasped her hands, and reared her slight form, with a kind of passionate dignity. "Do as me, and part from all those you love!" "But to serve those you love. One day you will come back to your mother's cottage, and say, 'We have conquered fortune.' Oh that I could go forth and return, as you will. But my father has no country, and his only child is a useless girl." As Violante spoke, Leonard had dried his tears; her emotion distracted him from his own. "Oh," continued Viola
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   309   310   311  
312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Leonard
 

mother

 

selfish

 

grieve

 

continued

 

fountain

 

Jackeymo

 

Violante

 

Savings

 
cottage

emotion

 

slight

 

faster

 

fortune

 

hurried

 

blubbering

 

absolutely

 
affected
 
distracted
 
proceed

clasped

 

conquered

 

passionate

 

useless

 

return

 

country

 

countrymen

 

father

 
reared
 

recognized


dignity
 
tender
 

gravity

 
begged
 
clothes
 
Amerikay
 

teapot

 

cracked

 
pounds
 
Fairfield

contempt
 

corrected

 

spelling

 
observed
 
mistakes
 

thought

 

brother

 

robbed

 

garden

 

master