Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 28, 2025
Hamley's sofa used to be placed under the old cedar-tree on the lawn, and when the warm air seemed to be scented with roses and sweetbrier. Now, the trees were leafless, there was no sweet odour in the keen frosty air; and looking up at the house, there were the white sheets of blinds, shutting out the pale winter sky from the invalid's room.
He knew the Miss Brownings slightly, and talked pleasantly to them while Molly read Mrs. Hamley's little missive of sympathy and good wishes relating to the wedding; then he turned to her, and though the Miss Brownings listened with all their ears, they could not find out anything remarkable either in the words he said or the tone in which they were spoken.
There they were coming across the flower-garden from the stable-yard, her father switching his boots with his riding whip, in order to make them presentable in Mrs. Hamley's drawing-room.
Gibson took the most kindly at least, until Lord Hollingford came into the neighbourhood was a certain Squire Hamley. He and his ancestors had been called squire as long back as local tradition extended. But there was many a greater landowner in the county, for Squire Hamley's estate was not more than eight hundred acres or so.
Hamley's plaintive murmurs as to the deep disgrace in which Osborne was being held by his father the prohibition of his coming home; and she hardly knew how to begin to tell him that the letter summoning Osborne had already been sent off. Their dinners were tete-a-tete. The squire tried to make them pleasant to Molly, feeling deeply grateful to her for the soothing comfort she was to his wife.
You would hardly believe he was Osborne Hamley's brother to see him! I should not think he had a profile at all. 'What do you think of him, Molly? said the persevering Cynthia. 'I like him, said Molly. 'He has been very kind to me. I know he isn't handsome like Osborne.
"Well," said Aunt Mary, smiling with pleasure at the success of her surprise, "I remembered how fond you are of jig-saws, so yesterday, as soon as you had fallen asleep, I wired to Hamley's. I was not sure if it would arrive to-day, so I did not tell you. Now, let us see what it is a map! Oh, dear me, I hope you won't find a map dull!"
Hamley's present illness was much aggravated, if not entirely brought on, by the discovery of Osborne's debts; so, many inquiries and answers on that head were tabooed. In fact, their attempts at easy conversation were limited to local subjects, and principally addressed to Molly or Roger.
"A few summers ago I had occasion to read Sir Edward Hamley's 'Operations of War' and for some reason or other everything in it seemed to sink into my mind and to be there retained, ready for use, as was the case to-night with his references to the Northern Italian campaigns." Outside of ordinary historical reading, a book occurs to me which is well worth a historian's mastery.
All the books that had been purchased since that time were held in small book-cases between each two of the drawing-room windows, and in Mrs. Hamley's own sitting-room upstairs.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking