Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral TalesEdgeworth, Maria
General
Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral Tales
Edgeworth, Maria
Fiction
washerwoman if she had plaited her grandmother's cap. The woman searched
in her basket, and produced the cap nicely plaited. The little girl, in
the meantime, considered Forester with anxious attention. "I believe,"
said she, timidly, "you are, or you are very like, the gentleman who was
so good as to--" "Yes," interrupted Forester, "I know what you mean.
I am the man who went with you to try to obtain justice from your
tyrannical schoolmistress: I did not do you any good. Have you
seen--have you heard any thing of--?" Such a variety of recollections
pressed upon Forester's heart, that he could not pronounce the name of
Henry Campbell; and he changed his question. "Is your old grandmother
recovered?"
"She is quite well, thank you, sir; and she is grown young again, since
you saw her: perhaps you don't know how good Mr. Henry and the young
lady have been to us. We don't live now in that little, close, dark room
at the watchmaker's. We are as happy, sir, as the day is long." "But
what of Henry? what of--?" "Oh, sir! but if you are not very busy, or in
a great hurry--it is but a little way off--if you _could_ come and look
at our new house--I don't mean _our_ house, for it is not ours; but
we take care of it, and we have two little rooms to ourselves; and Mr.
Henry and Miss Flora very often come to see us. I wish you could come to
see how nice our rooms are! The house is not far off, only at the back
of the Meadows." "Go, show me the way--I'll follow you," said Forester,
after he had satisfied himself that there was no danger of his meeting
any of Dr. Campbell's family.
THE MEADOWS.
Our hero accompanied the little girl with eager, benevolent curiosity.
"There," said she, when they came to the Meadows, "do you see that white
house, with the paling before it?" "But that cannot be your house!" "No,
no, sir: Dr. Campbell and several gentlemen have the large room,
and they come there twice a-week to teach something to a great many
children. Grandmother can explain all that better to you, sir, than I
can; but all I know is, that it is our business to keep the room aired
and swept, and to take care of the glass things which you'll see; and
you shall see how clean it is: it was _I_ swept it this morning."
They had now reached the gate which was in the paling before the
house. The old woman came to the door, clean, neat, and cheerful; she
recollected to have seen Forester in company with Henry Campbell at the
watchmaker's; and this was sufficient to make him a welcome guest. "God
bless the family, and all that belongs to them, for ever and ever!" said
the woman. "This way, sir." "Oh, don't look into our little rooms yet:
look at the great room first, if you please, sir," said the child.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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