The House by the Church-YardLe Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
General
The House by the Church-Yard
Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
Country life -- Ireland -- Fiction; Ireland -- Social life and customs -- 18th century -- Fiction
Was it spirit? Did she want to show the folk that she did not shrink
from meeting somebody; or that, though really ill, she ventured to peep
in, through sheer liking for the scrape of the fiddle, and the fun, to
show them that at least she was not heart-sick? Or was it the mysterious
attraction, the wish to see him once more, just through her hood, far
away, with an unseen side glance, and to build endless speculations, and
weave the filmy web of hope, for who knows how long, out of these airy
tints, a strange, sad smile, or deep, wild glance, just seen and fixed
for ever in memory? She had given him up in words, but her heart had not
given him up. Poor little Lily! She hoped all that was so bad in him
would one day mend. He was a hero still--and, oh! she hoped, would be
true to her. So Lily's love, she scarce knew how, lived on this
hope--the wildest of all wild hopes--waiting on the reformation of a
rake.
'But, darling Miss Lily, don't you know the poor master would break his
heart if he thought you could do such a wild thing as to go out again
'the doctors' orders, at this time o' night, and into that hot place,
and out again among the cold draughts.'
Little Lily paused.
''Tis only a step, Sally; do you honestly think it would vex him?'
'Vex him, darling? no, but break his heart. Why, he's never done asking
about you, and--oh! its only joking you are, my darling, that's all.'
'No, Sally, dear love, I meant it,' said little Lily, sadly; 'but I
suppose it was a wild thought, and I'm better at home.'
And she played a march that had somehow a dash of the pathetic in it, in
a sort of reverie, and she said:
'Sally, do you know that?'
And Sally's gentle face grew reflective, and she said:
'Sure, Miss Lily, that's the tune--isn't it--the Artillery plays when
they march out to the park?'
Lily nodded and smiled, and the tune moved on, conjuring up its pictured
reverie. Those review days were grand things when little Lily was a
child--magnanimous expenditure of hair and gunpowder was there. There
sat General Chattesworth, behind his guns, which were now blazing away
like fun, wearing his full uniform, point cravat and ruffles, and that
dignified and somewhat stern aspect which he put on with the rest of his
review-day costume, bestriding his cream-coloured charger, Bombardier,
and his plume and powdered _ails de pigeon_, hardly distinguishable from
the smoke which enveloped him, as a cloud does a demigod in an
allegorical picture.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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