United States or Niue ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
The evening sunlight was just fading out of the little "keeping-room," adjoining the bed-room, where the convalescent now was able to sit up most of the day. A cot bed had been placed there, designed for him to lie down upon in intervals of fatigue.
My Lady Montroymont was in the keeping-room, reading a godly book; she was a wonderful frail little wife to make so much noise in the world and be able to steer about that patient sheep her husband; her eyes were like sloes, the fingers of her hands were like tobacco-pipe shanks, her mouth shut tight like a trap; and even when she was the most serious, and still more when she was angry, there hung about her face the terrifying semblance of a smile.
So he gave up his own dear old Cid, and only used the same horses that had sufficed for our predecessor a most real loss and deprivation and he chose to take meals at the long table in the keeping-room with the farm servants. He said we girls might dine in our little parlour apart, but there was no bearing that, and the whole household dined and supped together.
I was delighted that anybody wanted to read my books, and hurried home to make a selection. That very afternoon, I took over an armful. Nobody was in the kitchen; so I sat down to wait. The door of the little keeping-room was open, and I knew by their voices that some great discussion was going on. I tipped over a cricket to make them aware of my presence. The door was opened wide, and Mrs.
"Here it is, uncle," cried the nearly breathless girl, reentering the 'keeping-room, and unconsciously holding the letter still pressed to her heart, "A letter a letter from Roswell, in his own precious hand." A flood of tears gave some relief to feelings that had so long been pent, and eased a heart that had been compressed nearly to breaking.
Of course 'Tenty sat in the "keeping-room," where the old sofa was; and of course Ned had nothing better to do than to watch the gay, good little bee at her toil, hear her involuntary snatches of hymn-singing, laugh at her bright simplicity, and fall in love with her, sailor-fashion, "here to-day, and gone tomorrow." 'Tenty stayed a long time at Mrs.
"Why, thee poor dear bairns!" said Mrs Benson; "come in, and sit thee down. Why, one of 'em's Squire Inglis's Philip, John," she continued to her husband, "and here they be ammost bet out." Mrs Benson could talk, but she could act as well, and she soon had the two lads upon the snug "keeping-room" sofa. "Bless thou, my poor bairns!" she exclaimed; and then in a breath to her husband.
But the girl was brought to bay one day in this wise. Manasseh had ridden forth on some business, which every one said would occupy him the whole day; but, meeting the man with whom he had to transact his affairs, he returned earlier than any one expected. He missed Lois from the keeping-room where his sisters were spinning, almost immediately.
Kittridge, therefore, looked forward to the funeral services on Sunday afternoon as to a species of solemn fête, which imparted a sort of consequence to her dwelling and herself. Notice of it was to be given out in "meeting" after service, and she might expect both keeping-room and kitchen to be full. Mrs.
Occasionally, she heard a strange chant of the old Indian woman's half in her own language, half in broken English droned over some simmering pipkin, from which the smell was, to say the least, unearthly. Once, on perceiving this odour in the keeping-room, Grace Hickson suddenly exclaimed: 'Nattee is at her heathen ways again; we shall have some mischief unless she is stayed.
Word Of The Day