'Lizbeth of the Dale — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
'Lizbeth of the Dale
John Stuart Mill · en
"The sinfulness of that estate whereunto man fell, consists in the
guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the
corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin,
together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it."
She strove to keep her mind upon it, but the exaltation of the
prayer-time had passed, and the vision of Mrs. Jarvis obtruded itself
on her Sabbath thoughts. She drove it away--as with tightly-shut eyes
and wrinkled brow and swaying body she attempted to get through the
answer unaided. But she stuck fast at "the want of original
righteousness" and again at "original sin," and was stumbling blindly
over "all actual transgressions" when there came a wicked whisper in
her ear.
"Lizzie," hissed John, "there's 'The Rowdy'!"
Elizabeth's eyes flew open, and the sinfulness of man's estate flew
away. John had turned his grave face towards her, lit up with a quick
smile. Elizabeth flashed back at him the same smile, a sudden gleam of
white even teeth in a rather generous red mouth. Brother and sister
were very much alike in their smiles, but only here, for John's face
was solemn almost to dourness, while Elizabeth's countenance was full
of light and animation.
"The Rowdy" was enough to provoke laughter even on the Sabbath and
under Aunt Margaret's nose. He was the robin whose chief
shouting-place was the hawthorn bush in the lane. John and Elizabeth
had so named him because he always made such a noise, leaping about and
calling "Hi, Hi! Whee! Whoo--Hoo!" in a most rowdy manner indeed.
They had named many other familiar birds in The Dale fields that
spring, and now Elizabeth gave a significant nod towards the orchard to
announce the song of another favorite. This robin sang from the top of
the big duchess tree that peeped over the wall into the front garden.
His was a plaintive, quiet song, quite unlike The Rowdy's. They had
noticed the pathetic little chant one evening when the schoolmaster sat
beside Annie on the front porch. Mr. Coulson had remarked that there
was a robin in the orchard who was singing the anthem of the Exile of
Erin. But John declared in private to Elizabeth that it wasn't
anything of the kind. Anyone could hear he was saying "Oh,
wirra-wurra! Wirra-wurra!" just the way old Mrs. Teeter did when she
recounted her troubles of the early pioneer days, or when Oro's Orator
had been fighting again. So to John and Elizabeth the robin of the
duchess tree was known as "Granny Teeter." They listened to him now,
complaining away to the pink apple-blossoms; and, knowing it was very
wicked and dangerous to laugh just then, they held themselves in
convulsions of silent mirth.