The Parent's Assistant; Or, Stories for ChildrenEdgeworth, Maria
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The Parent's Assistant; Or, Stories for Children
Edgeworth, Maria
Children's stories; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction
“Oh, it is a pity to waste that good bun; we may be glad of it yet,” said
Ben; “give it me rather than throw it away.”
“Why, I thought you said you were not hungry,” said Hal.
“True, I am not hungry now; but that is no reason why I should never be
hungry again.”
“Well, there is the cake for you. Take it; for it has made me sick, and
I don’t care what becomes of it.”
Ben folded the refuse bit of his cousin’s bun in a piece of paper, and
put it into his pocket.
“I’m beginning to be exceeding tired or sick or something,” said Hal;
“and as there is a stand of coaches somewhere hereabouts, had not we
better take a coach, instead of walking all the way to Bristol?”
“For a stout archer,” said Mr. Gresham, “you are more easily tired than
one might have expected. However, with all my heart, let us take a
coach, for Ben asked me to show him the cathedral yesterday; and I
believe I should find it rather too much for me to walk so far, though I
am not sick with eating good things.”
“_The cathedral_!” said Hal, after he had been seated in the coach about
a quarter of an hour, and had somewhat recovered from his sickness—“the
cathedral! Why, are we only going to Bristol to see the cathedral? I
thought we came out to see about a uniform.”
There was a dulness and melancholy kind of stupidity in Hal’s countenance
as he pronounced these words, like one wakening from a dream, which made
both his uncle and his cousin burst out a-laughing.
“Why,” said Hal, who was now piqued, “I’m sure you did say, uncle, you
would go to Mr. Hall’s to choose the cloth for the uniform.”
“Very true, and so I will,” said Mr. Gresham; “but we need not make a
whole morning’s work, need we, of looking at a piece of cloth? Cannot we
see a uniform and a cathedral both in one morning?”
They went first to the cathedral. Hal’s head was too full of the uniform
to take any notice of the painted window, which immediately caught Ben’s
embarrassed attention. He looked at the large stained figures on the
Gothic window, and he observed their coloured shadows on the floor and
walls.
Mr. Gresham, who perceived that he was eager on all subjects to gain
information, took this opportunity of telling him several things about
the lost art of painting on glass, Gothic arches, etc., which Hal thought
extremely tiresome.
“Come! come! we shall be late indeed,” said Hal; “surely you’ve looked
long enough, Ben, at this blue and red window.”
“I’m only thinking about these coloured shadows,” said Ben.
“I can show you when we go home, Ben,” said his uncle, “an entertaining
paper upon such shadows.” {194}
“Hark!” cried Ben, “did you hear that noise?” They all listened; and
they heard a bird singing in the cathedral.
“It’s our old robin, sir,” said the lad who had opened the cathedral door
for them.
“Yes,” said Mr. Gresham, “there he is, boys—look—perched upon the organ;
he often sits there, and sings, whilst the organ is playing.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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