FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194  
195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   >>   >|  
ned from her and towards the river, gave the melody of his wondrous voice to the following lines:-- LOVE'S QUARREL. "Standing by the river, gazing on the river, See it paved with starbeams,--heaven is at our feet; Now the wave is troubled, now the rushes quiver; Vanished is the starlight: it was a deceit. "Comes a little cloudlet 'twixt ourselves and heaven, And from all the river fades the silver track; Put thine arms around me, whisper low, 'Forgiven!' See how on the river starlight settles back." When he had finished, still with face turned aside, the lady did not, indeed, whisper "Forgiven," nor put her arms around him; but, as if by irresistible impulse, she laid her hand lightly on his shoulder. The minstrel started. There came to his ear,--he knew not from whence, from whom,-- "Mischief! mischief! Remember the little child!" "Hush!" he said, staring round. "Did you not hear a voice?" "Only yours," said the lady. "It was our guardian angel's, Amalie. It came in time. We will go within." CHAPTER XII. THE next morning betimes Kenelm visited Tom at his uncle's home. A comfortable and respectable home it was, like that of an owner in easy circumstances. The veterinary surgeon himself was intelligent, and apparently educated beyond the range of his calling; a childless widower, between sixty and seventy, living with a sister, an old maid. They were evidently much attached to Tom, and delighted by the hope of keeping him with them. Tom himself looked rather sad, but not sullen, and his face brightened wonderfully at first sight of Kenelm. That oddity made himself as pleasant and as much like other people as he could in conversing with the old widower and the old maid, and took leave, engaging Tom to be at his inn at half past twelve, and spend the day with him and the minstrel. He then returned to the Golden Lamb, and waited there for his first visitant; the minstrel. That votary of the muse arrived punctually at twelve o'clock. His countenance was less cheerful and sunny than usual. Kenelm made no allusion to the scene he had witnessed, nor did his visitor seem to suspect that Kenelm had witnessed it or been the utterer of that warning voice. KENELM.--"I have asked my friend Tom Bowles to come a little later, because I wished you to be of use to him, and, in order to be so, I should suggest how." THE MINSTREL.--"Pray do." KENELM.--"You know that I am n
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194  
195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Kenelm
 

minstrel

 

widower

 

Forgiven

 
whisper
 

twelve

 
starlight
 

heaven

 
witnessed
 
KENELM

wonderfully

 

seventy

 

wished

 

living

 

brightened

 
sullen
 
oddity
 

people

 

pleasant

 
looked

evidently

 

MINSTREL

 

sister

 

suggest

 

attached

 

conversing

 

keeping

 

delighted

 
Bowles
 
suspect

childless

 
utterer
 

arrived

 

punctually

 

countenance

 

allusion

 

visitor

 
cheerful
 

warning

 
engaging

friend

 

visitant

 

votary

 
waited
 
returned
 

Golden

 

silver

 

settles

 

irresistible

 

impulse