He went to his own room, where he found Harry, to his satisfaction, fast
asleep on the sofa. He took care not to wake him, but sat down beside him
to read till his sleep should be over. But, a moment after, the boy opened
his eyes with a start and a shiver, and gave a slight cry. When he saw
Hugh he jumped up, and with a smile which was pitiful to see upon a scared
face, said:
“Oh! I am so glad you are there.”
“What is the matter, dear Harry?”
“I had a dreadful dream.”
“What was it?”
“I don’t know. It always comes. It is always the same. I know that. And
yet I can never remember what it is.”
Hugh soothed him as well as he could; and he needed it, for the cold drops
were standing on his forehead. When he had grown calmer, he went and
fetched Gulliver, and, to the boy’s great delight, read to him till
dinner-time. Before the first bell rang, he had quite recovered, and
indeed seemed rather interested in the approach of dinner.
Dinner was an affair of some state at Arnstead. Almost immediately after
the second bell had rung, Mr. Arnold made his appearance in the
drawing-room, where the others were already waiting for him. This room had
nothing of the distinctive character of the parts of the house which Hugh
had already seen. It was merely a handsome modern room, of no great size.
Mr. Arnold led Euphra to dinner, and Hugh followed with Harry.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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