Home Scenes and Home Influence; a series of tales and sketchesArthur, T. S. (Timothy Shay)
General
Home Scenes and Home Influence; a series of tales and sketches
Arthur, T. S. (Timothy Shay)
Didactic fiction; Domestic fiction; Family life -- Fiction; Marriage -- Fiction
Nothing was said, on the next day, by any one, on the subject of
dancing; though Mr. Archer, especially, thought a great deal about
the matter. Some ideas had come into his mind that were new there,
and he was pondering them attentively. On the third day of his
arrival, he had a severe attack of rheumatism, from which he
suffered great pain, besides a confinement to his room for a couple
of weeks. During that time, the untiring devotion and tender
solicitude of Grace touched the old man's heart deeply. When the
pain had sufficiently abated to let his mind attain composure, she
sought to interest him in various ways. Sometimes she would read to
him by the hour; sometimes she would entertain him with cheerful
conversation; and sometimes she would bring in one or two of her
young friends whom he had met at the Christmas party.
With these, he had more than one discussion, in his sick room, on
the subject of dancing, and the old minister found these gay young
girls rather more than a match for him. During a discussion of this
kind, Grace left the room. In her absence, one of her companions
said to him--
"Grace is a good girl."
A quick light went over the old man's countenance; and he replied,
with evident feeling--
"Good? Yes; I look at her, sometimes, and think her almost an
angel."
"She dances."
The old man sighed.
"She is a Christian."
"I wish there were more such in the world," said he, unhesitatingly.
"And yet she dances."
"My dear child," said Mr. Archer, turning with an affectionate smile
towards his young interlocutor, "don't take such an advantage of me
in the argument."
"Then it is settled," was continued, in triumph, "that if dancing is
not a Christian grace, a maiden may dance and yet be a Christian?"
"God bless you, and keep you from all the evil of the world," said
the old man, fervently, as he took the young girl's hand and pressed
it between his own. "It may be all right! it may be all right!"
Grace came back at the moment, and he ceased speaking.
From that time the venerable minister said no more on the subject,
and it is but fair to believe that when he returned home he had very
serious doubts in regard to the sin of dancing, which had once been
as fairly held as if it had been an article in the Confession of
Faith.
IS SHE A LADY?
"MRS. TUDOR is a perfect lady," said my wife, Mrs. Sunderland, to me
one day, after having received a visit from the individual she
named.
"She may have the manners of a lady," I replied, "when abroad; but
whether she be a lady at home or not, is more than I can tell. It is
easy to put on the exterior of a lady; but to be a lady is a very
different thing."
"All that is true enough; but why do you connect such remarks with
the name of Mrs. Tudor? Do you know any thing to the contrary of her
being a lady?--a lady at home, as you say, for instance?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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