The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins, Volume 1 (of 2)Paltock, Robert
Science
The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins, Volume 1 (of 2)
Paltock, Robert
Adventure stories; Fantasy fiction
broader than our lake is long; but what made you so tedious in your
passage was many of the windings and turnings in the cavern returning
in to themselves again; so that you might have gone round and round
till this time, if the tide had not luckily struck you into the direct
passage: this," says she, "I have heard from some of my countrymen, who
have flown up it, but could never get quite through."
"I wish with all my heart," says I, "fortune had brought me first to
light in this country; or (but for your sake I could almost say) had
never brought me into it at all; for to be a creature of the
least significancy, of the whole race but one, is a melancholy
circumstance."--"Fear not," says she, "my love, for you have a wife will
hazard all for you, though you are restrained; and as my inclinations
and affections are so much yours, that I need but know your desires
to execute them as far as my power extends, surely you, who can act by
another, may be content to forego the trouble of your own performance. I
perceive, indeed," continued she, "you want mightily to go to your ship,
and are more uneasy now you know it is safe than you was before; but
that being past my skill to assist you in, if you will command your
deputy to go backwards and forwards in your stead, I am ready to obey
you."
Thus ended our conversation about the ship for that time. But it left
not my mind so soon; for a stronger hankering after it pursued me now
than ever since my wife's flight, but to no purpose.
We sat us down and sorted out our cargo, piece by piece; and having
found several things proper for the children, my wife longed to enter
upon some piece of work towards clothing Pedro in the manner she
had heard me talk of, and laid hard at me to show her the use of the
needles, thread, and other things she had brought. Indeed I must say
she proved very tractable; and from the little instruction I was able to
give her, soon out-wrought my knowledge; for I could only show her that
the thread went through the needle, and both through the cloth to hold
it together; but for anything else I was as ignorant as she. In much
less time than I could have imagined, she had clothed my son Pedro, and
had made a sort of mantle for the youngest. But now seeing us so smart
(for I took upon me sometimes to wear the green waistcoat she had
brought under my dirty jacket), she began to be ashamed of herself, as
she said, in our fine company; and afterwards (as I shall soon acquaint
you) got into our fashion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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