United States or Tuvalu ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
John made a silent, dolorous negative; as he had done once or twice before, when the actor urged us to accompany him to Coltham for a few hours only we might be back by midnight, easily. "What do you think, Phineas?" said John, when we stood in the high-road, waiting for the coach; "I have money and we have so little pleasure we would send word to your father. Do you think it would be wrong?"
"Phineas, are you tired?" "Not at all." "Do you feel strong enough to go to Coltham? Would it do you no harm? Would you LIKE to go?" To all these hurried questions I answered with as hurried an affirmative. It was sufficient to me that he evidently liked to go. "It is only for once your father would not grudge us the pleasure, and he is too busy to be out of the tan-yard before midnight.
We two who had all a boy's mysterious reverence for womanhood in its most ideal, most beautiful form, and who, I believe, were, in our ignorance, expecting to behold in every woman an Imogen, a Juliet, or a Desdemona felt no particular attraction towards the ungracefully attired, flaunting, simpering belles of Coltham. But the play began.
I repeat, it was a glorious night! Before the curtain rose we had time to glance about us on that scene, to both entirely new the inside of a theatre. Shabby and small as the place was, it was filled with all the beau monde of Coltham, which then, patronized by royalty, rivalled even Bath in its fashion and folly. Such a dazzle of diamonds and spangled turbans and Prince-of-Wales' plumes.
"A poor barn-like place, I believe," said John, stopping in his walk up and down the room to place my cushions more easy; "they should build a new one, now Coltham is growing up into such a fashionable town. I wish I could take you to see the "Well-walk," with all the fine people promenading. But you must rest, Phineas." I consented, being indeed rather weary. "You will like to see Mrs.
It was so; some neighbour driving home from Coltham had taken pains to tell Abel Fletcher where he had seen his son at the very last place a Friend's son ought to be seen the play-house.
Maud's criticism was scarcely unjust. The light-coloured flimsy gown, shorter than even Coltham fashionables would have esteemed decent, the fluttering bonnet, the abundance of flaunting curls no wonder that the stranger attracted considerable notice in quiet Norton Bury. As she tripped mincingly along, in her silk stockings and light shoes, a smothered jeer arose.
So I trusted to the blessed quiet of a sick-room often so healing to misery to Jael's nursing, and his brother's love. After a few days we called in a physician a stranger from Coltham who pronounced it to be this Norton Bury fever, caught through living, as he still persisted in doing, in his old attic, in that unhealthy alley where was Sally Watkins's house.
"Now, having satisfactorily 'munched, and munched, and munched, like the sailor's wife who had chestnuts in her lap are you acquainted with my friend, Mr. William Shakspeare, young gentleman? I must try to fulfil the other duties of existence. You said the Coltham mail passed here in three hours? Very well. I have the honour of wishing you a very good day, Mr. "Halifax." "And yours?" "Fletcher."
The same Coltham coach stopped at the Lamb Inn, and the same group of idle loungers took an interest in its disemboguing of its contents. But railways had done an ill turn to the coach and to poor Norton Bury: where there used to be six inside passengers, to-day was turned out only one. "What a queer-looking little woman! Uncle Phineas, people shouldn't dress so fine as that when they are old."
Word Of The Day