Christian life -- Juvenile fiction; Family -- Juvenile fiction
Next morning the brothers and their sister set off in high spirits for
their temporary home at the sea-side. As Mr Huntingdon parted with
Julia his voice trembled and his eyes swam with tears. She had got such
a strong hold on his heart now that he felt it hard to part with her,
even for a time. "She is so like what her mother was at her age," he
said mournfully to his sister, as they turned back into the house, when
the carriage had fairly carried the young people away. Old Harry was
quite as much affected as his master, though he showed it in a different
way. The sight of "Miss Julia as was" getting into the carriage to go
off again was almost more than he could bear. She saw it, and kissed
her hand to him. At this he gave a sort of jump, and then jerked his
elbow against his side with all his might, a proceeding intended to
suppress the outward exhibition of his emotion. Then, when his master
and Miss Huntingdon had returned to the breakfast-room, he stood gazing
at a full-length portrait of Mrs Huntingdon, taken in her younger days,
which hung in the hall, and bore a very striking resemblance to Julia
Vivian as she now looked. Having feasted his eyes with the portrait for
a minute or so, Harry uttered out loud one prolonged "Well;" and them
betaking himself to his pantry, sat down after he had slammed to the
door, and put his elbows on his knees and his face between his hands.
And there he sat, his breast heaving, and his throat gurgling, till at
last the simmering of his feelings fairly boiled over in a hearty flood
of tears. "What an old fool I am!" he exclaimed at last. "It's all the
better for her; and why, then, should I take on in this way? But, eh!
she getting so like an angel--not as I ever seed one, only in a picture-
book, and that had got wings, and she ain't got none. But she's getting
the right look now; she's got into the narrow way, and so has Master
Walter too, only there's a bit of a swagger at present about his
pilgrimage, but it'll all get right. They've got Master Amos with 'em,
bless his heart, and it ain't much of the devil's head or tail as'll
show itself so long as he's got the management of things. And they'll
all be back again by-and-by, and the dear old missus too, I'm sure of
it; so it'll all be well." Comforting himself with this thought, the
old man wiped his eyes with his ample spotted pocket-handkerchief, and
proceeded with his work, which he enlivened with a half--out--loud
accompaniment of texts, scraps of hymns, and fragments of wise and
proverbial sayings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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