FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   >>  
added: "Bid a servant fetch from York Street what I shall have need of." The doctor smiled, but stood firm. He cared little for aught in heaven or earth, did Dr. Leiden, and nothing whatever for Mr. and Mrs. Grafton Carvel. "I peg you, matam, do not disturp yourself," said he. "Mr. Carvel is aply attended by an excellent voman, Mrs. Villis, and he has no neet of you." "What," cried my aunt; "this is too much, sir, that I am thrust out of my father-in-law's house, and my place taken by a menial. That woman able!" she fumed, dropping suddenly her cloak of dignity; "Mr. Carvel's charity is all that keeps her here." Then my uncle drew himself up. "Dr. Leiden," says he, "kindly oblige me by leaving my father's house, and consider your services here at an end. And Richard," he goes on to me, "send my compliments to Dr. Drake, and request him to come at once." I was stepping forward to say that I would do nothing of the kind, when the doctor stopped me by a signal, as much as to say that the quarrel was wide enough without me. He stood with his back against the great arched window flooded with the yellow light of the setting sun, a little black figure in high relief, with a face of parchment. And he took a pinch of snuff before he spoke. "I am here py Mr. Carvel's orters, sir," said he, "and py tose alone vill I leaf." And this is how the Chippendale piece was broke, which you, my children, and especially Bess, admire so extravagantly. It stood that day behind the doctor, and my uncle, making a violent move to get by, struck it, and so it fell with a great crash lengthwise on the landing; and the wonderful vases Mr. Carroll had given my grandfather rolled down the stairs and lay crushed at the bottom. Withal he had spoken so quietly, Dr. Leiden possessed a temper drawn from his Teutonic ancestors. With his little face all puckered, he swore so roundly at my uncle in some lingo he had got from his father,--High German or Low German,--I know not what, that Grafton and his wife were glad enough to pick their way amongst the broken bits of glass and china, to the hall again. Dr. Leiden shook his fist at their retreating persons, saying that the Sabbath was no day to do murder. I followed them with the pretence of picking up what was left of the ornaments. What between anger against the doctor and Mrs. Willis, and fright and chagrin at the fall of the Chippendale piece, my aunt was in such a state of nervous flu
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   >>  



Top keywords:

Carvel

 

Leiden

 
doctor
 

father

 

German

 

Grafton

 

Chippendale

 

orters

 

stairs

 
Carroll

rolled

 
grandfather
 
crushed
 
extravagantly
 
struck
 

violent

 

admire

 

lengthwise

 

landing

 

wonderful


children

 

making

 

murder

 

Sabbath

 

pretence

 

persons

 

retreating

 

picking

 
nervous
 

chagrin


fright

 

ornaments

 

Willis

 

ancestors

 
puckered
 
roundly
 

Teutonic

 
spoken
 
Withal
 

quietly


possessed
 
temper
 

broken

 

bottom

 

thrust

 

attended

 

excellent

 

Villis

 

dropping

 

suddenly