Country life -- Juvenile fiction; Girls -- Juvenile fiction; Grandparents as parents -- Juvenile fiction
Anne was not quite sure that she liked it--the moaning of the wind, and
the ceaseless swish--boom, crash of the waves.
"I wish it was daylight so that I could see the ocean," she said,
politely, "I think it must be lovely and blue and big--"
"It is lovely now," said Judy, and went to the window and drew back the
curtain.
"Look out here, Anne--"
As Anne looked out, the moon showed for an instant in a ragged sky and
lighted up a wild waste of waters, whose white edge of foam ran up the
beach half-way to the cottage.
"How high the waves are," said little Anne.
"I have seen them higher than that," exulted Judy. "I have seen them
so high that they seemed to tower above our roof."
"Weren't you afraid?"
"They couldn't hurt me, and it was grand."
"Supper is served, miss," announced Perkins, coming in with a
chafing-dish and a half-dozen fresh eggs on a silver tray.
"I thought you might like something hot, sir," he said to the Judge
with a supercilious glance at the cold collation which Mrs. Adams had
provided, and with that he proceeded on the spot to make an
omelette--puffy, fluffy, and perfect.
It was a cozy scene--the old butler in his white coat bending over the
shining silver dish with the blue flame underneath. The polished
mahogany of the table giving out rich reflections as the ruddy light of
the fire played over it. The sparkling glass, the quaint old silver,
Judy's violets all fragrant and dewy in the center, and at the head of
the table the Judge in a great armchair, and on each side the two
girls, the dark-haired and the fair-haired, in white gowns and crisp
ribbons.
But Judy ate nothing, although Perkins tempted her with various offers.
"I'm not a bit hungry," she said, over and over again, and Anne, who
was ravenous, felt positively greedy in the face of such daintiness.
"You are tired," said the Judge at last, as Judy sat with her chin in
her hand, gazing at a picture of her father which hung over the
fireplace--a full-length portrait in uniform. "Go to bed, dear." And
in spite of protests, as soon as Anne had finished her supper, he
ordered them both to bed.
"What are we going to do about her, Perkins?" the Judge asked in a
worried tone, when he and the old servant were alone.
"Miss Judy, sir?"
"Yes. She isn't well, Perkins."
"She will be better down here, sir," said Perkins. "She is like her
father, you know, sir--likes the water--"
"Perkins--" after a pause.
"Yes, sir."
"Do you think--he is alive?"
It was the first time in years that the Judge had spoken of his son.
Perkins stopped brushing the crumbs from the table, and came and stood
beside his master, looking into the fire thoughtfully.
"Miss Judy thinks he is, sir," he said at last.
"I know--"
"And I find that it's the women that's mostly right in such things,"
went on Perkins. "A man now only knows what he sees, but, Lord, sir, a
woman knows things without seein'. Sort of takes them on faith, sir."
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account