FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29  
30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   >>   >|  
e with smugglers and gypsies and villains, the scum of the earth! Someone knocks. CHRISTY (without moving). That's the minister. MRS. DUDGEON (sharply). Well, aren't you going to let Mr. Anderson in? Christy goes sheepishly to the door. Mrs. Dudgeon buries her face in her hands, as it is her duty as a widow to be overcome with grief. Christy opens the door, and admits the minister, Anthony Anderson, a shrewd, genial, ready Presbyterian divine of about 50, with something of the authority of his profession in his bearing. But it is an altogether secular authority, sweetened by a conciliatory, sensible manner not at all suggestive of a quite thoroughgoing other-worldliness. He is a strong, healthy man, too, with a thick, sanguine neck; and his keen, cheerful mouth cuts into somewhat fleshy corners. No doubt an excellent parson, but still a man capable of making the most of this world, and perhaps a little apologetically conscious of getting on better with it than a sound Presbyterian ought. ANDERSON (to Christy, at the door, looking at Mrs. Dudgeon whilst he takes off his cloak). Have you told her? CHRISTY. She made me. (He shuts the door; yawns; and loafs across to the sofa where he sits down and presently drops off to sleep.) Anderson looks compassionately at Mrs. Dudgeon. Then he hangs his cloak and hat on the rack. Mrs. Dudgeon dries her eyes and looks up at him. ANDERSON. Sister: the Lord has laid his hand very heavily upon you. MRS. DUDGEON (with intensely recalcitrant resignation). It's His will, I suppose; and I must bow to it. But I do think it hard. What call had Timothy to go to Springtown, and remind everybody that he belonged to a man that was being hanged?--and (spitefully) that deserved it, if ever a man did. ANDERSON (gently). They were brothers, Mrs. Dudgeon. MRS. DUDGEON. Timothy never acknowledged him as his brother after we were married: he had too much respect for me to insult me with such a brother. Would such a selfish wretch as Peter have come thirty miles to see Timothy hanged, do you think? Not thirty yards, not he. However, I must bear my cross as best I may: least said is soonest mended. ANDERSON (very grave, coming down to the fire to stand with his back to it). Your eldest son was present at the execution, Mrs. Dudgeon. MRS. DUDGEON (disagreeably surprised). Richard? ANDERSON (nodding). Yes. MRS. DUDGEON (vindictively). Let it be a warning to him. He may end th
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29  
30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Dudgeon
 

DUDGEON

 

ANDERSON

 
Anderson
 

Christy

 
Timothy
 

authority

 

Presbyterian

 

thirty

 

brother


hanged

 
minister
 

CHRISTY

 

remind

 

Springtown

 

belonged

 

deserved

 

spitefully

 

intensely

 
suppose

recalcitrant

 

heavily

 
resignation
 

Sister

 

eldest

 

coming

 

soonest

 
mended
 

present

 
vindictively

warning

 

nodding

 

execution

 

disagreeably

 
surprised
 

Richard

 

married

 
respect
 

acknowledged

 

gently


brothers

 
insult
 

However

 

selfish

 

wretch

 

smugglers

 

profession

 

bearing

 

divine

 

Anthony