Lewis Arundel; Or, The Railroad Of LifeSmedley, Frank E. (Frank Edward)
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Lewis Arundel; Or, The Railroad Of Life
Smedley, Frank E. (Frank Edward)
English fiction -- 19th century
“Rachel, have you forgotten me?” inquired Lewis, as soon as he could
speak for laughing. “What are you crying about? You are not so silly
as to be afraid of a dog? Here, Faust, where are you?” As he spoke
he uttered a low, peculiar whistle; and in obedience to his signal a
magnificent Livonian wolf-hound, which bore sufficient likeness to the
animal it was trained to destroy to have alarmed a more discriminating
zoologist than poor Rachel, sprang into the room, and, delighted at
rejoining his master, began to testify his joy so roughly as not only
to raise the terror of that damsel to screaming point, but to cause Mrs.
Arundel to interpose a chair between herself and the intruder, while
Rose, pale but silent, shrank timidly into a corner of the apartment. In
an instant the expression of Lewis’s face changed; his brow contracted,
his mouth grew stern, and fixing his flashing eyes upon those of the
dog, he uttered in a deep, low voice some German word of command; and
as he spoke the animal dropped at his feet, where it crouched in a
suppliant attitude, gazing wistfully at his master’s countenance,
without offering to move.
“You need not have erected a barricade to defend yourself, my dear
mother,” said Lewis, as a smile chased the cloud which had for a moment
shaded his features; “the monster is soon quelled. Rose, you must learn
to love Faust--he is my second self; come and stroke him.”
Thus exhorted, Rose approached and patted the dog’s shaggy head, at
first timidly, but more boldly when she found that he still retained his
crouching posture, merely repaying her caresses by fixing his bright,
truthful eyes upon her face lovingly, and licking his lips with his long
red tongue.
“Now, Rachel,” continued Lewis, “it is your turn; come, I must have you
good friends with Faust.”
“No, I’m much obliged to you, sir, I couldn’t do it, indeed--no
disrespect to you, Mr. Lewis, though you have growed a man in foreign
parts. I may be a servant of all work, but I didn’t engage myself to
look after wild beasts, sir. No! nor wouldn’t, if you was to double my
wages, and put the washin’ out--I can’t abear them.”
“Foolish girl! it’s the most good-natured dog in the world. Here, he’ll
give you his paw; come and shake hands with him.”
“I couldn’t do it, sir; I’m jest a-going to set the tea-things. I won’t,
then, that’s flat,” exclaimed Rachel, waxing rebellious in the extremity
of her terror, and backing rapidly towards the door.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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