I awoke suddenly in the morning, and sat up in my bed, having for a moment
forgotten all about our travelling. A moment more, however, brought all
back again.
'Are we in time, Madame?'
'For the packet?' she enquired, with one of her charming smiles, and
cutting a caper on the floor. 'To be sure; you don't suppose they would
forget. We have two hours yet to wait.'
'Can we see the sea from the window?'
'No, dearest cheaile; you will see't time enough.'
'I'd like to get up,' I said.
'Time enough, my dear Maud; you are fatigued; are you sure you feel quite
well?'
'Well enough to get up; I should be better, I think, out of bed.'
'There is no hurry, you know; you need not even go by the next packet. Your
uncle, he tell me, I may use my discretion.'
'Is there any water?'
'They will bring some.'
'Please, Madame, ring the bell.'
She pulled it with alacrity. I afterwards learnt that it did not ring.
'What has become of my gipsy pin?' I demanded, with an unaccountable
sinking of the heart.
'Oh! the little pin with the red top? maybe it 'as fall on the ground; we
weel find when you get up.'
I suspected that she had taken it merely to spite me. It would have been
quite the thing she would have liked. I cannot describe to you how the loss
of this little 'charm' depressed and excited me. I searched the bed; I
turned over all the bed-clothes; I searched in and outside; at last I gave
up.
'How odious!' I cried; 'somebody has stolen it merely to vex me.'
And, like a fool as I was, I threw myself on my face on the bed and wept,
partly in anger, partly in dismay.
After a time, however, this blew over. I had a hope of recovering it.
If Madame had stolen it, it would turn up yet. But in the meantime its
disappearance troubled me like an omen.
'I am afraid, my dear cheaile, you are not very well. It is really very odd
you should make such fuss about a pin! Nobody would believe! Do you not
theenk it would be a good plan to take a your breakfast in your bed?'
She continued to urge this point for some time. At last, however, having
by this time quite recovered my self-command, and resolved to preserve
ostensibly fair terms with Madame, who could contribute so essentially to
make me wretched during the rest of my journey, and possibly to prejudice
me very seriously on my arrival, I said quietly--
'Well, Madame, I know it is very silly; but I had kept that foolish little
pin so long and so carefully, that I had grown quite fond of it; but I
suppose it is lost, and I must content myself, though I cannot laugh as you
do. So I will get up now, and dress.'
'I think you will do well to get all the repose you can,' answered Madame;
'but as you please,' she added, observing that I was getting up.
So soon as I had got some of my things on, I said--
'Is there a pretty view from the window?'
'No,' said Madame.
I looked out and saw a dreary quadrangle of cut stone, in one side of which
my window was placed. As I looked a dream rose up before me.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account