Their home was poor, poorer than Digby had thought any man's home could
be, but there was no sign of the filth that characterised the condition
of other homes in the house. Mrs. Trotter kept it clean, kept it neat,
and kept it as bright as possible. While they were as poor, if not
poorer than the other inhabitants of this roofed world, they were
looked upon as and called "the aristocrats." No poverty could remove
nor deface the indelible stamp of superiority which good blood and
culture had given them as birthrights. Their apparel was cleaner than
anything of its kind in the building, fairly immaculate when compared
with the wretched garb of the beings who were looked upon as human but
who were--well, they were unfortunate to have that distinction;
something less would have been more fitting.
When occasion presented, Digby would bring home flowers, plucked from
the gardens that he passed. Kate would bedeck the room with the
blossoms, her eyes glistening as she thought of the lovely spot she had
known five long years ago. Once in awhile the more beautiful of his
tributes would adorn her coal black hair, lending wealth to what seemed
so much like waste.
They had curtains for their windows, too--muslin, of course--and,
although the windows were almost paneless, they presented quite a
home-like appearance, especially from the street, eight floors below.
Heavy wads of cloth served as glass in most of the vacant places, but
they did not serve well as light filterers. Besides all these valuables
they owned a bedstead, a stove, some chairs, a table, a sewing machine
and a mirror. Not another family in the house owned a mirror.
But they were lovers ever--the same, sweet comrades in love. The baby
was their Cupid at whose shrine they worshipped. She ruled their
affections and there was no kingdom wider than her domain. Digby,
covered with shame, despair and bitterness against the world, turned
himself loose into the pasture of joy when she cooed her authority;
romped like a boy whose heart had never felt as heavy as a chunk of
lead; talked to her, sang to her with a voice that had never felt the
quiver of dismay. Upon these sad pleasantries Mrs. Trotter smiled her
worship. Better than all, Digby had never been compelled to walk with
her for two or three hours in the middle of the night. It is said that
she was the only child on earth that never had the colic.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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