England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Young women -- England -- Fiction
Sir Hugh, looking after him with great alarm, exclaimed, 'Now he is
going to break all his bones! which is always the case with those young
boys, when first they get a horseback.'
Camilla, terrified that she had begged this boon, requested that the
servant might directly ride after him.
'Yes, my dear, if you wish it,' answered Sir Hugh; 'only we have but
this one man for us all, because of the rest staying to get the ball and
supper ready; so that if we should be overturned ourselves, here's never
a soul to pick us up.'
Edgar offered to ride on alone, and persuade the truant to return.
'Thank you, my dear, thank you,' answered Sir Hugh, 'you are as good a
boy as any I know, but, in point of horsemanship, one's as ignorant as
t'other, as far as I can tell; so we may only see both your sculls
fractured instead of one, in the midst of your galloping; which God
forbid for either.'
'Then let us all go together,' cried Indiana, 'and bring him back.'
'But do not let us get out of the coach, uncle,' said Lavinia; 'pray do
not let us get out!'
Sir Hugh agreed; though he added, that as to the small pox, he could by
no means see it in the same light, for he had no notion of people's
taking diseases upon themselves. 'Besides,' continued he, 'she will be
sure to have it when her time comes, whether she is moped up or no; and
how did people do before these new modes of making themselves sick of
their own accord?'
Pitying, however, the uneasiness of Lavinia, when they came near the
town, he called to the footman, and said, 'Hark'ee, Jacob, do you ride
on first, and keep a sharp look out that nobody has the small pox.'
The fair being held in the suburbs, they soon arrived at some straggling
booths, and the coach, at the instance of Lavinia, was stopt.
Indiana now earnestly solicited leave to alight and see the fair; and
Edgar offered to be her esquire. Sir Hugh consented, but desired that
Lavinia and Camilla might be also of the party. Lavinia tried vainly to
excuse herself; he assured her it would raise her spirits, and bid her
be under no apprehension, for he would stay and amuse the little Eugenia
himself, and take care that she came to no harm.
They were no sooner gone, however, than the little girl cried to follow;
Sir Hugh, compassionately kissing her, owned she had as good a right as
any of them, and declared it was a hard thing to have her punished for
other people's particularities. This concession served only to make her
tears flow the faster; till, unable to bear the sight, he said he could
not answer to his conscience the vexing such a young thing, and,
promising she should have whatever she liked, if she would cry no more,
he ordered the coachman to drive to the first booth where there were any
toys to be sold.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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