Love stories; New York (N.Y.) -- History -- 1775-1865 -- Fiction
"To sell thee, Joris, is a great shame, and for nothing to sell thee is
still worse. This is what I think: Let half of the income from the
earldom go to the poor young lady, but THYSELF into the bargain, is
beyond all reason. And if with Cornelia Moran thou art in love, a good
thing it is;--so I say."
"Do you know Cornelia, grandmother?"
"Well, then, I have seen her; more than once. A great beauty I think
her; and Doctor John has Money--plenty of money--and a very good family
are the Morans. I remember his father--a very fine gentleman."
"But my father hates Doctor Moran."
"Very wicked is he to hate any one. Why, then?"
"He gave me only one reason--that his family is French."
"SO! Thy mother was Dutch. Every one cannot be English--a God's mercy
they cannot! Now, then, thy grandfather is coming; thy trouble tell to
him. Good advice he will give thee."
Senator Van Heemskirk however went first into his garden and gathering
great handfuls of white narcissus and golden daffodils, he called a
slave woman and bade her carry them to the Semple house, and lay them
in, and around, his friend's coffin. One white lily he kept in his hand
as he came towards his wife and grandson, with eyes fixed on its beauty.
"Lysbet," he said,--but he clasped George's hand as he spoke--"My
Lysbet, if in the Dead Valley of this earth grow such heavenly flowers
as this, we will not fear the grave. It is only to sleep on the breast
that gives us the lily and the rose, and the wheat, and the corn. Oh,
how sweet is this flower! It has the scent of Paradise."
He laid it gently down while he put off his fine broadcloth coat and
lace ruffles and assumed the long vest and silk skull cap, which was
his home dress; then he put it in a buttonhole of his vest, and seemed
to joy himself in its delicate fragrance. With these preliminaries
neither Joris nor Lysbet interfered; but when he had lit his long pipe
and seated himself comfortably in his chair, Lysbet said--
"Where hast thou been all this afternoon?"
"I have been sealing up my friend's desk and drawers until his sons
arrive. Very happy he looks. He is now ONE OF THOSE THAT KNOW."
"Well, then, after the long strife, 'He Rests.'"
"Men have written it. What know they about it? Rest would not be heaven
to my friend Alexander Semple. To work, to be up and doing His Will,
that would be his delight."
"I wonder, Joris, if in the next life we shall know each other?"
"My Lysbet, in this life do we know each other?"
"I think not. Here has come our dear Joris full of trouble to thee, for
his father has said such things as I could not have believed. Joris,
tell thy grandfather what they are."
And this time George, being very sure of hearty sympathy, told his tale
with great feeling--perhaps even with a little anger. His grandfather
listened patiently to the youth's impatience, but he did not answer
exactly to his expectations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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