FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  
ng round hastily they saw a peasant woman with a large basket on her arm. "No," said Cicely courteously, "we have only come out to take the air before breakfast." "I crave pardon," said the woman, curtseying, "the pretty lady belongs to the great folk down yonder. Would she look at my poor wares? Here are beads and trinkets of the goodly stones, pins and collars, bracelets and eardrops, white, yellow, and purple," she said, uncovering her basket, where were arranged various ornaments made of Derbyshire spar. "We have no money, good woman," said Cicely, rising to return, vaguely uncomfortable at the woman's eye, which awoke some remembrance of Tibbott the huckster, and the troubles connected with her. "Yea, but if my young mistress would only bring me in to the Great Lady there, I know she would buy of me my beads and bracelets, of give me an alms for my poor children. I have five of them, good young lady, and they lie naked and hungry till I can sell my few poor wares, and the yeomen are so rough and hard. They would break and trample every poor bead I have in pieces rather than even let my Lord hear of them. But if even my basket could be carried in and shown, and if the good Earl heard my sad tale, I am sure he would give license." "He never does!" said Diccon, roughly; "hold off, woman, do not hang on us, or I'll get thee branded for a vagabond." The woman put her knuckles into her eyes, and wailed out that it was all for her poor children, and Cicely reproved him for his roughness, and as the woman kept close behind them, wailing, moaning, and persuading, the boy and girl were wrought upon at last to give her leave to wait outside the gate of the inn garden, while they saw whether it was possible to admit her or her basket. But before they reached the gate, they saw a figure beyond it, scanning the hill eagerly. They knew him for their father even before he shouted to them, and, as they approached, his voice was displeased: "How now, children; what manners are these?" "We have only been on the hillside, sweet father," said Cis, "Diccon and I together. We thought no harm." "This is not Sheffield Chase, Cis, and thou art no more a child, but a maiden who needs to be discreet, above all in these times. Whom did I see following you?" "A poor woman, whom--Ha, where is she?" exclaimed Cis, suddenly perceiving that the woman seemed to have vanished. "A troublesome begging woman who beset us
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

basket

 
children
 

Cicely

 

father

 

Diccon

 

bracelets

 
roughness
 
reproved
 

wailing

 

wrought


persuading

 

troublesome

 

moaning

 

discreet

 

branded

 
vagabond
 

wailed

 
vanished
 

maiden

 

knuckles


begging

 

exclaimed

 

displeased

 
shouted
 

approached

 

thought

 

Sheffield

 

hillside

 
manners
 

eagerly


garden

 

perceiving

 
suddenly
 

figure

 

scanning

 

reached

 
purple
 
yellow
 

uncovering

 

arranged


eardrops
 

goodly

 

stones

 

collars

 

ornaments

 

uncomfortable

 

vaguely

 
return
 

Derbyshire

 
rising