Kenelm Chillingly — CompleteLytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
General
Kenelm Chillingly — Complete
Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
English fiction -- 19th century
She moved from him as she said this, and went to a little mound that
seemed not long since raised; there was a simple cross at the head and
a narrow border of flowers round it. Lily knelt beside the flowers and
pulled out a stray weed. Then she rose, and said to Kenelm, who had
followed, and now stood beside her,--
“She was the little grandchild of poor old Mrs. Hales. I could not cure
her, though I tried hard: she was so fond of me, and died in my arms.
No, let me not say ‘died,’--surely there is no such thing as dying. ‘Tis
but a change of life,--
‘Less than the void between two waves of air,
The space between existence and a soul.’”
“Whose lines are those?” asked Kenelm.
“I don’t know; I learnt them from Lion. Don’t you believe them to be
true?”
“Yes. But the truth does not render the thought of quitting this scene
of life for another more pleasing to most of us. See how soft and gentle
and bright is all that living summer land beyond; let us find subject
for talk from that, not from the graveyard on which we stand.”
“But is there not a summer land fairer than that we see now; and which
we do see, as in a dream, best when we take subjects of talk from the
graveyard?” Without waiting for a reply, Lily went on. “I planted these
flowers: Mr. Emlyn was angry with me; he said it was ‘Popish.’ But he
had not the heart to have them taken up; I come here very often to see
to them. Do you think it wrong? Poor little Nell! she was so fond of
flowers. And the Eleanor in the great tomb, she too perhaps knew some
one who called her Nell; but there are no flowers round her tomb. Poor
Eleanor!”
She took the nosegay she wore on her bosom, and as she repassed the tomb
laid it on the mouldering stone.
CHAPTER XI.
THEY quitted the burial-ground, taking their way to Grasmere. Kenelm
walked by Lily’s side; not a word passed between them till they came in
sight of the cottage.
Then Lily stopped abruptly, and lifting towards him her charming face,
said,--
“I told you I would think over what you said to me last night. I have
done so, and feel I can thank you honestly. You were very kind: I never
before thought that I had a bad temper; no one ever told me so. But I
see now what you mean; sometimes I feel very quickly, and then I show
it. But how did I show it to you, Mr. Chillingly?”
“Did you not turn your back to me when I seated myself next you in
Mrs. Braefield’s garden, vouchsafing me no reply when I asked if I had
offended?”
Lily’s face became bathed in blushes, and her voice faltered, as she
answered,--
“I was not offended; I was not in a bad temper then: it was worse than
that.”
“Worse? what could it possibly be?”
“I am afraid it was envy.”
“Envy of what? of whom?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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