For whose sake?: A sequel to "Why did he wed her?"Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
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For whose sake?: A sequel to "Why did he wed her?"
Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
Bigamy -- Fiction; England -- Fiction; Impostors and imposture -- Fiction
“For their children,’ of course, but not for grown people; not for
themselves. No, Ran, dear, we could not have a resident tutor for you
and me. That would set the servants to talking and the neighbors to
gossiping; and they would wonder where we had been brought up, perhaps
laugh at us, perhaps scorn us. I should not mind it for myself, Ran, but
I should mind it a great deal for you.”
“That is not the way I feel, Judy, dear, for I do not care a fig what
they say of me, but I could not bear to have them criticise you.”
“So, you see, Ran, we could not have a resident tutor.”
“I suppose we shall have to go and hide ourselves in London to pursue
our studies, Judy, dear.”
“Yes,” said the young woman with a deep sigh, “but mightn’t we put off
going until winter? Oh, it is so hard to leave this lovely place in the
glory of the spring.”
“Judy, love, time is passing quickly, and our education is very
backward.”
“Especially mine,” sighed Judy.
“But I tell you what I will do!” exclaimed Ran with sudden inspiration.
“I will confide the whole matter to Mr. Campbell, and take counsel with
him.”
“The very thing! And, oh, Ran!” exclaimed Judy, catching inspiration in
her turn, “might he not become our tutor? Give us an hour three or four
times a week?”
Ran fell into thought, but did not reply.
“I have so often heard of clergymen taking pupils. Even taking them in
their houses. But he need not do that. Could he not come to us or let us
go to him a few times every week?”
“I declare, Judy, darling, that is a splendid idea of yours, and I will
ask him, and if he should consent to do as we wish, why, then, we need
not bother ourselves about going to London to hide ourselves and look
for teachers!” exclaimed Ran in delight.
“And then there need be no gossip. No one need know what brings the
rector to our library or takes us to his study,” concluded Judy.
“I will go and see Mr. Campbell at once,” exclaimed Ran, with boyish
eagerness, as he sprang up, seized his hat from the ground and set off
in a brisk walk for the rectory.
But he met the rector full tilt at the lodge gate, as Mr. Campbell was
on his way to make a call at the house.
They both burst out laughing as they came into collision, and the
minister took Ran’s arm, turned him about and walked with him back to
the rustic seat where Judy sat.
She rose to welcome the visitor and to make room for him beside her on
the bench.
“Good-morning, ma’am,” he said, lifting his hat and taking the offered
seat. “We have lovely weather just now. It must be lovely even in
London. In fact, there is always delightful weather in London during
May, when the season is at its height. Do you leave for town soon?”
“Oh, I hope not. I never, never, never wish to leave for town,” said
Judy, with a genuine pout.
“I am sure I wish you never would,” laughed Mr. Campbell. “But I thought
you were daily expecting to start,” he added, turning to Ran.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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