Children -- Death -- Juvenile fiction; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Farm life -- Juvenile fiction; Siblings -- Juvenile fiction
She waked up in the middle of the night, to find the lamps
burning bright and Clam asleep on the floor by her side; she
herself was sitting yet where she had been sitting in the
evening, on a low seat with her head on the sofa cushion. She
got up and with a sort of new spring of hope and cheer, whence
come she knew not, laid herself on the sofa and slept till the
morning.
"You'd best be up, Miss 'Lizabeth," were Clam's first words.
"Why?" said Elizabeth springing up.
"It's time," said her handmaiden.
Elizabeth rose from her sofa and put her face and dress in
such order as a few minutes could do. She had but come back
from doing this, and was standing before the table, when
Winthrop came in. It was much earlier than usual. Elizabeth
looked, but he did not answer, the wonted question. He led her
gently to the window and placed himself opposite to her.
"You must leave here, Miss Elizabeth," he said.
"Must I?" -- said Elizabeth looking up at him and trembling.
"You must --" he answered very gently.
"Why, Mr. Landholm?" Elizabeth dared to say.
"Because there is no longer any reason why you should stay
here."
She trembled exceedingly, but though her very lips trembled,
she did not cry. He would have placed her on a chair, but she
resisted that and stood still.
"Where do you want me to go, Mr. Winthrop?" she said
presently, like a child.
"I will take you wherever you say -- to some friend's house?"
She caught at his arm and her breath at once, with a kind of
sob; then releasing his arm, she said,
"There isn't anywhere."
"No house in the city?"
She shook her head.
"If you will let me, I will take you to a safe and quiet
place; and as soon as possible away from the city."
"When?"
"When from here? -- Now, -- as soon as you can be ready."
Elizabeth's eye wandered vaguely towards the table like a
person in a maze.
"Mayn't I go up stairs again?" she said, her eye coming back
to his.
"I would rather you did not."
She gave way then and sat down covering her face with her
hands. And sobs as violent as her tremblings had been, held
her for a little while. The moment she could, she rose up and
looked up again, throwing off her tears as it were, though a
sob now and then even while she was speaking interrupted her
breath.
"But Mr. Winthrop -- the house, --how can I go and leave it with
everything in it?"
"I will take care, if you will trust me."
"I will trust you," she said with running tears. "But you? --"
"I will take care of it and you too. -- I will try to."
"That was not what I meant --"
"I am safe," he said.
He gently seated her; and then going off to Clam at the other
side of the room he bade her fetch her mistress's bonnet and
shawl. He himself put them on, and taking her arm in his, they
went forth of the house.
CHAPTER IX.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account