E-text prepared by Emmy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 38227-h.htm or 38227-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/38227/pg38227-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/38227/38227-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See http://www.archive.org/details/rainbowafterthun00ladyiala THE RAINBOW, AFTER THE THUNDER-STORM. by A LADY. [Illustration] London: Printed for Francis Westley, Stationers'-Court, Ludgate-Hill. 1823. T. C. Hansard, Printer, Peterboro'-court, Fleet-street, London. THE RAINBOW, AFTER THE THUNDER-STORM. JULIA and her mamma resided chiefly in London. Owing to indisposition the family were a little way from home for the benefit of the air. In consequence of that, Julia and her mamma were frequently walking out. One summer's evening they had extended their walk to an unusual length, when suddenly the clouds gathered, and distant thunder indicated an approaching storm. They were a great way from any house, but hurried to the nearest one for shelter. It was a large brick-built house, with a court-yard, inclosed by a high wall. At the iron gate was a servant, with a pitcher in her hand, taking some milk of a man who stood by. Julia's mamma went up to her, and said, "Will you be so obliging as to let us have a shelter from the storm? It appears likely to be very severe." The servant replied, "I am very sorry, ma'am, but it is not in my power; my master and mistress are not at home, and they have given me orders not to admit any stranger." There was no time to hesitate; immediately they proceeded to an unfinished house they recollected to have seen; it was a quarter of a mile distant. Almost breathless with fatigue, they arrived; the wash-house door was standing open, they entered, and thought themselves happy in having so good a shelter. "Oh," said Julia, "how cruel it was in that young woman to refuse to let us go into the house! I would not have done so." "Then," replied her mamma, "you would have done wrong; however painful it must have been to her, to refuse was no more than her duty as a faithful servant."