FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   103   104   >>   >|  
ittle, and she glanced round the enclosure, more in condescension than hope, surveying the boughs of the lilacs, drooping with their weight of purple blossoms, and peering at the gossamer's web. Louis, in the meantime, turned towards the stream, now partially enveloped in the dusky shade of twilight, but there was one spot sparkling with the rosy light of sunset, and resting snugly 'mid the pebbles at the bottom, he spied a large, dingy ball. "Ah! what's this big toad-stool, rising up in the water?" said he, seizing a pole that lay under the bridge, and sticking the end in the ball. "Why this looks as if it had been thread, Miss Thusa, but I don't know what you will call it now?" Miss Thusa snatched the dripping ball from the pole that bent beneath its weight, turned it round several times, bringing it nearer and nearer to her eyes at each revolution, then raised it above her head, as if about to dash it on the ground; but suddenly changing her resolution, she tightened her grasp, and strode into the path leading to the house. "I know all about it now," she cried, "I heard the children romping and trampling round the house like a drove of wild colts, with Mittie at their head; it is she that has done it, and if I don't punish her, it will be because the Lord Almighty does it for me." Even Louis could scarcely keep up with her rapid strides. He trembled for the consequences of her anger, just as it was, and followed close to see if Mittie, undaunted as she was, did not shrivel in her gaze. Mittie was seated in a window, busily studying, or pretending to study, not even turning her head, though Miss Thusa's steps resounded as if she were shod with iron. "Look round, Miss, if you please, and tell me if you know any thing of this," cried Miss Thusa, laying her left hand on her shoulder, and bringing the ball so close to her face that her nose came in contact with it. Mittie jerked away from the hand laid upon her with no velvet pressure, without opening her lips, but the guilty blood rising to her face spoke eloquently; though she had a kind of Procrustes bed of her own, according to which she stretched or curtailed the truth, she had not the hardihood to tell an unmitigated falsehood, in the presence of her brother, too, and in the light of his truth-beaming eye. "You are always accusing _me_ of every thing," said she, at length. "I didn't do it----all;" the last syllable was uttered in a low, indistinct
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   103   104   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Mittie

 

rising

 

bringing

 
nearer
 
weight
 

turned

 
consequences
 

pretending

 

trembled

 

scarcely


strides
 

shrivel

 

seated

 

resounded

 

busily

 
studying
 

undaunted

 

turning

 

window

 
brother

beaming

 
presence
 

falsehood

 

curtailed

 

hardihood

 

unmitigated

 

syllable

 
uttered
 

indistinct

 

accusing


length

 

stretched

 

jerked

 

velvet

 

contact

 

shoulder

 

pressure

 

Procrustes

 

eloquently

 

opening


guilty

 

laying

 

tightened

 

resting

 

snugly

 

pebbles

 
sunset
 

sparkling

 

bottom

 

seizing