FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   >>   >|  
me see, how does it begin? 'Arma, virumque cano, Trojae qui primus ab oris.' That's pretty well, I think, considering I've never opened him since I left school thirty years ago. To be sure, I spent six hours a day at it when I was there. Come now, I'll puzzle you. Can you construe this? "Infir dealis, inoak noneis; inmud eelis, inclay noneis." "To be sure I can," said Edward, with a little contempt in his tone. "Can you do this, sir? "Apud in is almi des ire, Mimis tres i neve require, Alo veri findit a gestis, His miseri ne ver at restis." But though Edward had made much progress, and gained three prizes, his moral training had been little attended to. He was more tyrannical than ever, both to his mother and Maggie. It was a drawn battle between him and Nancy, and they kept aloof from each other as much as possible. Maggie fell into her old humble way of submitting to his will, as long as it did not go against her conscience; but that, being daily enlightened by her habits of pious aspiring thought, would not allow her to be so utterly obedient as formerly. In addition to his imperiousness, he had learned to affix the idea of cleverness to various artifices and subterfuges which utterly revolted her by their meanness. "You are so set up, by being intimate with Erminia, that you won't do a thing I tell you; you are as selfish and self-willed as"--he made a pause. Maggie was ready to cry. "I will do anything, Ned, that is right." "Well! and I tell you this is right." "How can it be?" said she, sadly, almost wishing to be convinced. "How--why it is, and that's enough for you. You must always have a reason for everything now. You are not half so nice as you were. Unless one chops logic with you, and convinces you by a long argument, you'll do nothing. Be obedient, I tell you. That is what a woman has to be." "I could be obedient to some people, without knowing their reasons, even though they told me to do silly things," said Maggie, half to herself. "I should like to know to whom," said Edward, scornfully. "To Don Quixote," answered she, seriously; for, indeed, he was present in her mind just then, and his noble, tender, melancholy character had made a strong impression there. Edward stared at her for a moment, and then burst into a loud fit of laughter. It had the good effect of restoring him to a better frame of mind. He had such an excellent joke against his sister, that he
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Maggie

 
Edward
 
obedient
 

utterly

 
noneis
 
wishing
 
convinced
 

revolted

 

meanness

 

subterfuges


cleverness
 
artifices
 

intimate

 
willed
 
selfish
 

Erminia

 
melancholy
 

tender

 

character

 

strong


stared

 

impression

 

Quixote

 

answered

 

present

 

moment

 

excellent

 
sister
 
restoring
 

laughter


effect

 

scornfully

 
argument
 

convinces

 

learned

 

reason

 

Unless

 

things

 

people

 
knowing

reasons

 

submitting

 

dealis

 

inclay

 
construe
 

puzzle

 

contempt

 

require

 

Trojae

 

primus