FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77  
78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   >>   >|  
hobby than in Town, where you must do like other folk or else be counted singular and ridiculous. No brave and gallant man would run the risk of being thought singular." "Why, _Father's_ notion is right the contrary," said I. "I have heard him to say divers times that 'tis the cowards which dare not be laughed at, and that it takes a right brave man to dare to be thought singular." "Exactly!" saith he. "That is right the _Puritan_ talk, as I had the honour to tell you aforetime. You should never hear no gentleman of the Court to say no such a thing." "But," said I, "speak they alway the most truth in the Court?" This seemed to divert him rarely. He laughed for a minute as though he should ne'er give o'er. "My fairest _Amiability_," saith he, "had I but thee in the Court, as is the only place meet for thee, then shouldst thou see how admired of every creature were thy wondrous wit and most incomparable beauties. Why, I dare be sworn on all the books in _Cumberland_, thou shouldest be of the Queen's Majesty's maids in one week's time. And of the delights and jollities of that life, dwelling here in a corner of _England_, thou canst not so much as cast an idea." Methought that should be right rare. SELWICK HALL, NOVEMBER YE XXVII. With Aunt _Joyce_ this morrow to visit old _Nanny Crewdson_, that is brother's widow to _Isaac_, and dwelleth in a cot up _Thirlmere_ way. I would fain have avoided the same an' I might, for I never took no list in visiting poor folk, and sithence I have wist my right noble _Protection_ do I take lesser than ever. In very deed, all relish is gone for me out of every thing but him and the jolly Court doings whereof he tells me. And I am ever so much happier than I was of old, with nought but humdrum matter; only that now and then, for a short while, I am a deal more miserabler. I cannot conceive what it is that cometh o'er me at those times. 'Tis like as if I were dancing on flowers, and some unseen hand did now and then push aside the flowers, and I saw a great and horrible black gulf underneath, and that one false step should cast me down therein. Nor will any thing comfort me, at those times, but to talk with my _Protection_, that can alway dispel the gloom. But the things around, that I have been bred up in, do grow more and more distasteful unto me than ever. Howbeit, I am feared to show folk the same, so when Aunt _Joyce_ ca
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77  
78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

singular

 

Protection

 

flowers

 
thought
 
laughed
 

visiting

 
doings
 

dwelleth

 

happier

 

whereof


sithence
 

lesser

 

Thirlmere

 

relish

 

avoided

 
unseen
 

comfort

 

dispel

 

things

 
feared

Howbeit

 
distasteful
 

underneath

 

conceive

 

cometh

 

miserabler

 

humdrum

 
matter
 

dancing

 

horrible


brother

 

nought

 

Majesty

 

gentleman

 

aforetime

 

Exactly

 

Puritan

 

honour

 

minute

 

rarely


divert

 

counted

 

ridiculous

 

gallant

 

divers

 

cowards

 
contrary
 

notion

 

Father

 

England