第2章
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  Chapter1。II。PlansandBushmanPaintings。

  Atlastcametheyearofthegreatdrought,theyearofeighteen—sixty—two。

  Fromendtoendofthelandtheearthcriedforwater。Manandbeastturnedtheireyestothepitilesssky,thatliketheroofofsomebrazenovenarchedoverhead。Onthefarm,dayafterday,monthaftermonth,thewaterinthedamsfelllowerandlower;thesheepdiedinthefields;thecattle,scarcelyabletocrawl,totteredastheymovedfromspottospotinsearchoffood。Weekafterweek,monthaftermonth,thesunlookeddownfromthecloudlesssky,tillthekaroo—busheswereleaflesssticks,brokenintotheearth,andtheearthitselfwasnakedandbare;andonlythemilk—

  bushes,likeoldhags,pointedtheirshrivelledfingersheavenward,prayingfortherainthatnevercame……

  Itwasonanafternoonofalongdayinthatthirstysummer,thatonthesideofthekopjefurthestfromthehomesteadthetwogirlssat。Theyweresomewhatgrownsincethedayswhentheyplayedhide—and—seekthere,buttheyweremerechildrenstill。

  Theirdresswasofdark,coarsestuff;theircommonbluepinaforesreachedtotheirankles,andontheirfeettheyworehome—madevelschoen。

  Theysatunderashelvingrock,onthesurfaceofwhichwerestillvisiblesomeoldBushmanpaintings,theirredandblackpigmentshavingbeenpreservedthroughlongyearsfromwindandrainbytheoverhangingledge;

  grotesqueoxen,elephants,rhinoceroses,andaone—hornedbeast,suchasnomaneverhasseenorevershall。

  Thegirlssatwiththeirbackstothepaintings。Intheirlapswereafewfernandice—plantleaves,whichbydintofmuchsearchingtheyhadgatheredundertherocks。

  Emtookoffherbigbrownkapjeandbeganvigorouslytofanherredfacewithit;buthercompanionbentlowovertheleavesinherlap,andatlasttookupanice—plantleafandfasteneditontothefrontofherbluepinaforewithapin。

  \"Diamondsmustlookasthesedropsdo,\"shesaid,carefullybendingovertheleaf,andcrushingonecrystaldropwithherdelicatelittlenail。

  \"WhenI,\"shesaid,\"amgrownup,Ishallwearrealdiamonds,exactlyliketheseinmyhair。\"

  Hercompanionopenedhereyesandwrinkledherlowforehead。

  \"Wherewillyoufindthem,Lyndall?Thestonesareonlycrystalsthatwepickedupyesterday。OldOttosaysso。\"

  \"AndyouthinkthatIamgoingtostayherealways?\"

  Theliptrembledscornfully。

  \"Ah,no,\"saidhercompanion。\"Isupposesomedayweshallgosomewhere;

  butnowweareonlytwelve,andwecannotmarrytillweareseventeen。

  Fouryears,five——thatisalongtimetowait。Andwemightnothavediamondsifwedidmarry。\"

  \"AndyouthinkthatIamgoingtostayheretillthen?\"

  \"Well,whereareyougoing?\"askedhercompanion。

  Thegirlcrushedanice—plantleafbetweenherfingers。

  \"TantSannieisamiserableoldwoman,\"shesaid。\"Yourfathermarriedherwhenhewasdying,becausehethoughtshewouldtakebettercareofthefarm,andofus,thananEnglishwoman。Hesaidweshouldbetaughtandsenttoschool。Nowshesaveseveryfarthingforherself,buysusnotevenoneoldbook。Shedoesnotill—useus——why?Becausesheisafraidofyourfather’sghost。OnlythismorningshetoldherHottentotthatshewouldhavebeatenyouforbreakingtheplate,butthatthreenightsagosheheardarustlingandagruntingbehindthepantrydoor,andknewitwasyourfathercomingtospookher。Sheisamiserableoldwoman,\"saidthegirl,throwingtheleaffromher;\"butIintendtogotoschool。\"

  \"Andifshewon’tletyou?\"

  \"Ishallmakeher。\"

  \"How?\"

  Thechildtooknottheslightestnoticeofthelastquestion,andfoldedhersmallarmsacrossherknees。

  \"Butwhydoyouwanttogo,Lyndall?\"

  \"Thereisnothinghelpsinthisworld,\"saidthechildslowly,\"buttobeverywise,andtoknoweverything——tobeclever。\"

  \"ButIshouldnotliketogotoschool!\"persistedthesmallfreckledface。

  \"Andyoudonotneedto。WhenyouareseventeenthisBoer—womanwillgo;

  youwillhavethisfarmandeverythingthatisuponitforyourown;butI,\"saidLyndall,\"willhavenothing。Imustlearn。\"

  \"Oh,Lyndall!Iwillgiveyousomeofmysheep,\"saidEm,withasuddenburstofpityinggenerosity。

  \"Idonotwantyoursheep,\"saidthegirlslowly;\"Iwantthingsofmyown。

  WhenIamgrownup,\"sheadded,theflushonherdelicatefeaturesdeepeningateveryword,\"therewillbenothingthatIdonotknow。I

  shallberich,veryrich;andIshallwearnotonlyforbest,buteveryday,apurewhitesilk,andlittlerose—buds,liketheladyinTantSannie’sbedroom,andmypetticoatswillbeembroidered,notonlyatthebottom,butallthrough。\"

  TheladyinTantSannie’sbedroomwasagorgeouscreaturefromafashion—

  sheet,whichtheBoer—woman,somewhereobtaining,hadpastedupatthefootofherbed,tobeprofoundlyadmiredbythechildren。

  \"Itwouldbeverynice,\"saidEm;butitseemedadreamofquitetootranscendentagloryevertoberealized。

  Atthisinstantthereappearedatthefootofthekopjetwofigures——theone,adog,whiteandsleek,oneyellowearhangingdownoverhislefteye;

  theother,hismaster,aladoffourteen,andnootherthantheboyWaldo,grownintoaheavy,slouchingyouthoffourteen。Thedogmountedthekopjequickly,hismasterfollowedslowly。Heworeanagedjacketmuchtoolargeforhim,androlledupatthewrists,and,asofold,apairofdilapidatedvelschoensandafelthat。Hestoodbeforethetwogirlsatlast。

  \"Whathaveyoubeendoingtoday?\"askedLyndall,liftinghereyestohisface。

  \"Lookingafterewesandlambsbelowthedam。Here!\"hesaid,holdingouthishandawkwardly,\"Ibroughtthemforyou。\"

  Therewereafewgreenbladesoftendergrass。

  \"Wheredidyoufindthem?\"

  \"Onthedamwall。\"

  Shefastenedthembesidetheleafonherbluepinafore。

  \"Theylooknicethere,\"saidtheboy,awkwardlyrubbinghisgreathandsandwatchingher。

  \"Yes;butthepinaforespoilsitall;itisnotpretty。\"

  Helookedatitclosely。

  \"Yes,thesquaresareugly;butitlooksniceuponyou——beautiful。\"

  Henowstoodsilentbeforethem,hisgreathandshanginglooselyateitherside。

  \"Someonehascometoday,\"hemumbledoutsuddenly,whentheideastruckhim。

  \"Who?\"askedbothgirls。

  \"AnEnglishmanonfoot。\"

  \"Whatdoeshelooklike?\"askedEm。

  \"Ididnotnotice;buthehasaverylargenose,\"saidtheboyslowly。\"Heaskedthewaytothehouse。\"

  \"Didn’thetellyouhisname?\"

  \"Yes——BonaparteBlenkins。\"

  \"Bonaparte!\"saidEm,\"whythatislikethereelHottentotHansplaysontheviolin——

  ’Bonaparte,Bonaparte,mywifeissick;

  Inthemiddleoftheweek,butSundaysnot,Igiveherriceandbeansforsoup’——

  Itisafunnyname。\"

  \"TherewasalivingmancalledBonaparteonce,\"saidsheofthegreateyes。

  \"Ahyes,Iknow,\"saidEm——\"thepoorprophetwhomthelionsate。Iamalwayssosorryforhim。\"

  Hercompanioncastaquietglanceuponher。

  \"Hewasthegreatestmanwhoeverlived,\"shesaid,\"themanIlikebest。\"

  \"Andwhatdidhedo?\"askedEm,consciousthatshehadmadeamistake,andthatherprophetwasnottheman。

  \"Hewasoneman,onlyone,\"saidherlittlecompanionslowly,\"yetallthepeopleintheworldfearedhim。Hewasnotborngreat,hewascommonasweare;yethewasmasteroftheworldatlast。Oncehewasonlyalittlechild,thenhewasalieutenant,thenhewasageneral,thenhewasanemperor。Whenhesaidathingtohimselfheneverforgotit。Hewaited,andwaitedandwaited,anditcameatlast。\"

  \"Hemusthavebeenveryhappy,\"saidEm。

  \"Idonotknow,\"saidLyndall;\"buthehadwhathesaidhewouldhave,andthatisbetterthanbeinghappy。Hewastheirmaster,andallthepeoplewerewhitewithfearofhim。Theyjoinedtogethertofighthim。Hewasoneandtheyweremany,andtheygothimdownatlast。Theywerelikethewildcatswhentheirteetharefastinagreatdog,likecowardlywildcats,\"saidthechild,\"theywouldnotlethimgo。Thereweremany;hewasonlyone。Theysenthimtoanislandonthesea,alonelyisland,andkepthimtherefast。Hewasoneman,andtheyweremany,andtheywereterrifiedathim。Itwasglorious!\"saidthechild。

  \"Andwhatthen?\"saidEm。

  \"Thenhewasalonethereinthatislandwithmentowatchhimalways,\"saidhercompanion,slowlyandquietly。\"Andinthelonglonelynightsheusedtolieawakeandthinkofthethingshehaddoneintheolddays,andthethingshewoulddoiftheylethimgoagain。Inthedaywhenhewalkedneartheshoreitseemedtohimthattheseaallaroundhimwasacoldchainabouthisbodypressinghimtodeath。\"

  \"Andthen?\"saidEm,muchinterested。

  \"Hediedthereinthatisland;henevergotaway。\"

  \"Itisratheranicestory,\"saidEm;\"buttheendissad。\"

  \"Itisaterrible,hatefulending,\"saidthelittletellerofthestory,leaningforwardonherfoldedarms;\"andtheworstis,itistrue。Ihavenoticed,\"addedthechildverydeliberately,\"thatitisonlythemade—upstoriesthatendnicely;thetrueonesallendso。\"

  Asshespoketheboy’sdark,heavyeyesrestedonherface。

  \"Youhavereadit,haveyounot?\"

  Henodded。\"Yes;buttheBrownhistorytellsonlywhathedid,notwhathethought。\"

  \"ItwasintheBrownhistorythatIreadofhim,\"saidthegirl;\"butI

  knowwhathethought。Booksdonottelleverything。\"

  \"No,\"saidtheboy,slowlydrawingnearertoherandsittingdownatherfeet。\"Whatyouwanttoknowtheynevertell。\"

  Thenthechildrenfellintosilence,tillDoss,thedog,growinguneasyatitslongcontinuance,sniffedatoneandtheother,andhismasterbrokeforthsuddenly:

  \"Iftheycouldtalk,iftheycouldtellusnow!\"hesaid,movinghishandoutoverthesurroundingobjects——\"thenwewouldknowsomething。Thiskopje,ifitcouldtellushowitcamehere!The’PhysicalGeography’

  says,\"hewentonmostrapidlyandconfusedly,\"thatwhatweredrylandsnowwereoncelakes;andwhatIthinkisthis——theselowhillswereoncetheshoresofalake;thiskopjeissomeofthestonesthatwereatthebottom,rolledtogetherbythewater。Butthereisthis——Howdidthewatercometomakeoneheapherealone,inthecentreoftheplain?\"Itwasaponderousquestion;noonevolunteeredananswer。\"WhenIwaslittle,\"

  saidtheboy,\"Ialwayslookedatitandwondered,andIthoughtagreatgiantwasburiedunderit。NowIknowthewatermusthavedoneit;buthow?Itisverywonderful。Didonelittlestonecomefirst,andstoptheothersastheyrolled?\"saidtheboywithearnestness,inalowvoice,moreasspeakingtohimselfthantothem。

  \"Oh,Waldo,Godputthelittlekopjehere,\"saidEmwithsolemnity。

  \"Buthowdidheputithere?\"

  \"Bywanting。\"

  \"Buthowdidthewantingbringithere?\"

  \"Becauseitdid。\"

  Thelastwordswereutteredwiththeairofonewhoproducesaclinchingargument。Whateffectithadonthequestionerwasnotevident,forhemadenoreply,andturnedawayfromher。

  DrawingclosertoLyndall’sfeet,hesaidafterawhileinalowvoice:

  \"Lyndall,hasitneverseemedtoyouthatthestonesweretalkingwithyou?

  Sometimes,\"headdedinayetlowertone,\"Ilieundertherewithmysheep,anditseemsthatthestonesarereallyspeaking——speakingoftheoldthings,ofthetimewhenthestrangefishesandanimalslivedthatareturnedintostonenow,andthelakeswerehere;andthenofthetimewhenthelittleBushmenlivedhere,sosmallandsougly,andusedtosleepinthewilddogholes,andinthesloots,andeatsnakes,andshotthebuckswiththeirpoisonedarrows。Itwasoneofthem,oneoftheseoldwildBushmen,thatpaintedthose,\"saidtheboy,noddingtowardthepictures——

  \"onewhowasdifferentfromtherest。Hedidnotknowwhy,buthewantedtomakesomethingbeautiful——hewantedtomakesomething,sohemadethese。

  Heworkedhard,veryhard,tofindthejuicetomakethepaint;andthenhefoundthisplacewheretherockshangover,andhepaintedthem。Toustheyareonlystrangethings,thatmakeuslaugh;buttohimtheywereverybeautiful。\"

  Thechildrenhadturnedroundandlookedatthepictures。

  \"Heusedtokneelherenaked,painting,painting,painting;andhewonderedatthethingshemadehimself,\"saidtheboy,risingandmovinghishandindeepexcitement。\"NowtheBoershaveshotthemall,sothatweneverseealittleyellowfacepeepingoutamongthestones。\"Hepaused,adreamylookcomingoverhisface。\"Andthewildbuckshavegone,andthosedays,andwearehere。Butwewillbegonesoon,andonlythestoneswilllieonhere,lookingateverythingliketheylooknow。IknowthatitisIwhoamthinking,\"thefellowaddedslowly,\"butitseemsasthoughitweretheywhoaretalking。Hasitneverseemedsotoyou,Lyndall?\"

  \"No,itneverseemssotome,\"sheanswered。

  Thesunhaddippednowbelowthehills,andtheboy,suddenlyrememberingtheewesandlambs,startedtohisfeet。

  \"Letusalsogotothehouseandseewhohascome,\"saidEm,astheboyshuffledawaytorejoinhisflock,whileDossranathisheels,snappingattheendsofthetorntrousersastheyflutteredinthewind。

  Chapter1。III。IWasAStranger,andYeTookMeIn。

  Asthetwogirlsroundedthesideofthekopje,anunusualscenepresenteditself。Alargegroupwasgatheredatthebackdoorofthehomestead。

  OnthedoorstepstoodtheBoer—woman,ahandoneachhip,herfaceredandfiery,herheadnoddingfiercely。AtherfeetsattheyellowHottentotmaid,hersatellite,andaroundstoodtheblackKaffermaids,withblanketstwistedroundtheirhalf—nakedfigures。Two,whostampedmealiesinawoodenblock,heldthegreatstampersintheirhands,andstaredstupidlyattheobjectofattraction。ItcertainlywasnottolookattheoldGermanoverseer,whostoodinthecentreofthegroup,thattheyhadallgatheredtogether。Hissalt—and—peppersuit,grizzlyblackbeard,andgreyeyeswereasfamiliartoeveryoneonthefarmastheredgablesofthehomesteaditself;butbesidehimstoodthestranger,andonhimalleyeswerefixed。EverandanonthenewcomercastaglanceoverhispendulousrednosetothespotwheretheBoer—womanstood,andsmiledfaintly。

  \"I’mnotachild,\"criedtheBoer—woman,inlowCapeDutch,\"andIwasn’tbornyesterday。No,bytheLord,no!Youcan’ttakemein!Mymotherdidn’tweanmeonMonday。OnewinkofmyeyeandIseethewholething。

  I’llhavenotrampssleepingonmyfarm,\"criedTantSannieblowing。\"No,bythedevil,no!notthoughhehadsixty—times—sixrednoses。\"

  TheretheGermanoverseermildlyinterposedthatthemanwasnotatramp,butahighlyrespectableindividual,whosehorsehaddiedbyanaccidentthreedaysbefore。

  \"Don’ttellme,\"criedtheBoer—woman;\"themanisn’tbornthatcantakemein。Ifhe’dhadmoney,wouldn’thehaveboughtahorse?Menwhowalkarethieves,liars,murderers,Rome’spriests,seducers!Iseethedevilinhisnose!\"criedTantSannieshakingherfistathim;\"andtocomewalkingintothehouseofthisBoer’schildandshakinghandsasthoughhecameonhorseback!Oh,no,no!\"

  Thestrangertookoffhishat,atall,batteredchimneypot,anddisclosedabaldhead,atthebackofwhichwasalittlefringeofcurledwhitehair,andhebowedtoTantSannie。

  \"Whatdoessheremark,myfriend?\"heinquired,turninghiscrosswise—

  lookingeyesontheoldGerman。

  TheGermanrubbedhisoldhandsandhesitated。

  \"Ah——well——ah——the——Dutch——youknow——donotlikepeoplewhowalk——inthiscountry——ah!\"

  \"Mydearfriend,\"saidthestranger,layinghishandontheGerman’sarm,\"Ishouldhaveboughtmyselfanotherhorse,butcrossing,fivedaysago,afullriver,Ilostmypurse——apursewithfivehundredpoundsinit。I

  spentfivedaysonthebankoftherivertryingtofindit——couldn’t。PaidaKafferninepoundstogoinandlookforitattheriskofhislife——

  couldn’tfindit。\"

  TheGermanwouldhavetranslatedthisinformation,buttheBoer—womangavenoear。

  \"No,no;hegoestonight。Seehowhelooksatme——apoorunprotectedfemale!Ifhewrongsme,whoistodomeright?\"criedTantSannie。

  \"Ithink,\"saidtheGermaninanundertone,ifyoudidn’tlookatherquitesomuchitmightbeadvisable。She——ah——she——might——imaginethatyoulikedhertoowell,——infact——ah——\"

  \"Certainly,mydearfriend,certainly,\"saidthestranger。\"Ishallnotlookather。\"

  Sayingthis,heturnedhisnosefulluponasmallKafferoftwoyearsold。

  ThatsmallnakedsonofHambecameinstantlysoterrifiedthathefledtohismother’sblanketforprotection,howlinghorribly。

  Uponthisthenewcomerfixedhiseyespensivelyonthestamp—block,foldinghishandsontheheadofhiscane。Hisbootswerebroken,buthestillhadthecaneofagentleman。

  \"YouvagabondsseEngelschman!\"saidTantSannie,lookingstraightathim。

  ThiswasanearapproachtoplainEnglish;butthemancontemplatedtheblockabstractedly,whollyunconsciousthatanyantagonismwasbeingdisplayedtowardhim。

  \"YoumightnotbeaScotchmanoranythingofthatkind,mightyou?\"

  suggestedtheGerman。\"ItistheEnglishthatshehates。\"

  \"Mydearfriend,\"saidthestranger,\"IamIrisheveryinchofme——fatherIrish,motherIrish。I’venotadropofEnglishbloodinmyveins。\"

  \"Andyoumightnotbemarried,mightyou?\"persistedtheGerman。\"Ifyouhadawifeandchildren,now?Dutchpeopledonotlikethosewhoarenotmarried。\"

  \"Ah,\"saidthestranger,lookingtenderlyattheblock,\"Ihaveadearwifeandthreesweetlittlechildren——twolovelygirlsandanobleboy。\"

  ThisinformationhavingbeenconveyedtotheBoer—woman,she,aftersomefurtherconversation,appearedslightlymollified;butremainedfirmtoherconvictionthattheman’sdesignswereevil。

  \"For,dearLord!\"shecried;\"allEnglishmenareugly;butwasthereeversuchared—rag—nosedthingwithbrokenbootsandcrookedeyesbefore?Takehimtoyourroom,\"shecriedtotheGerman;\"butallthesinhedoesIlayatyourdoor。\"

  TheGermanhavingtoldhimhowmatterswerearranged,thestrangermadeaprofoundbowtoTantSannieandfollowedhishost,wholedthewaytohisownlittleroom。

  \"Ithoughtshewouldcometoherbetterselfsoon,\"theGermansaidjoyously。\"TantSannieisnotwhollybad,farfromit,far。\"Thenseeinghiscompanioncastafurtiveglanceathim,whichhemistookforoneofsurprise,headdedquickly,\"Ah,yes,yes;weareallaprimitivepeoplehere——notverylofty。Wedealnotintitles。EveryoneisTanteandOom——

  auntanduncle。Thismaybemyroom,\"hesaid,openingthedoor。\"Itisrough,theroomisrough;notapalace——notquite。Butitmaybebetterthanthefields,alittlebetter!\"hesaid,glancingroundathiscompanion。\"Comein,comein。Thereissomethingtoeat——amouthful:notthefareofemperorsorkings;butwedonotstarve,notyet,\"hesaid,rubbinghishandstogetherandlookingroundwithapleased,half—nervoussmileonhisoldface。

  \"Myfriend,mydearfriend,\"saidthestranger,seizinghimbythehand,\"maytheLordblessyou,theLordblessandrewardyou——theGodofthefatherlessandthestranger。ButforyouIwouldthisnighthavesleptinthefields,withthedewsofheavenuponmyhead。\"

  LatethateveningLyndallcamedowntothecabinwiththeGerman’srations。

  Throughthetinysquarewindowthelightstreamedforth,andwithoutknockingsheraisedthelatchandentered。Therewasafireburningonthehearth,anditcastitsruddyglowoverthelittledingyroom,withitsworm—eatenraftersandmudfloor,andbrokenwhitewashedwalls。Acuriouslittleplace,filledwithallmannerofarticles。Nexttothefirewasagreattoolbox;beyondthatthelittlebookshelfwithitswell—wornbooks;

  beyondthat,inthecorner,aheapoffilledandemptygrain—bags。Fromtheraftershungdownstraps,riems,oldboots,bitsofharness,andastringofonions。Thebedwasinanothercorner,coveredbyapatchworkquiltoffadedredlions,anddividedfromtherestoftheroombyabluecurtain,nowdrawnback。Onthemantelshelfwasanendlessassortmentoflittlebagsandstones;andonthewallhungamapofSouthGermany,witharedlinedrawnthroughittoshowwheretheGermanhadwandered。Thisplacewastheonehomethegirlshadknownformanyayear。ThehousewhereTantSannielivedandruledwasaplacetosleepin,toeatin,nottobehappyin。Itwasinvainshetoldthemtheyweregrowntoooldtogothere;everymorningandeveningfoundthemthere。Weretherenottoomanygoldenmemorieshangingabouttheoldplaceforthemtoleaveit?

  Longwinternights,whentheyhadsatroundthefireandroastedpotatoes,andaskedriddles,andtheoldmanhadtoldofthelittleGermanvillage,where,fiftyyearsbefore,alittleGermanboyhadplayedatsnowballs,andhadcarriedhometheknittedstockingsofalittlegirlwhoafterwardbecameWaldo’smother;didtheynotseemtoseetheGermanpeasantgirlswalkingaboutwiththeirwoodenshoesandyellow,braidedhair,andthelittlechildreneatingtheirsuppersoutoflittlewoodenbowlswhenthegoodmotherscalledthemintohavetheirmilkandpotatoes?

  Andweretherenotyetbettertimesthanthese?Moonlightnights,whentheyrompedaboutthedoor,withtheoldman,yetmoreachildthananyofthem,andlaughed,tilltheoldroofofthewagon—houserang?

  Or,bestofall,weretherenotwarm,dark,starlightnights,whentheysattogetheronthedoorstep,holdingeachother’shands,singingGermanhymns,theirvoicesrisingclearinthestillnightair——tilltheGermanwoulddrawawayhishandsuddenlytowipequicklyatearthechildrenmustnotsee?Wouldtheynotsitlookingupatthestarsandtalkingofthem——ofthedearSouthernCross,red,fieryMars,Orion,withhisbelt,andtheSevenMysteriousSisters——andfalltospeculatingoverthem?Howoldarethey?Whodweltinthem?AndtheoldGermanwouldsaythatperhapsthesoulswelovedlivedinthem;there,inthatlittletwinklingpointwasperhapsthelittlegirlwhosestockingshehadcarriedhome;andthechildrenwouldlookupatitlovingly,andcallit\"UncleOtto’sstar。\"

  Thentheywouldfalltodeeperspeculations——ofthetimesandseasonswhereintheheavensshallberolledtogetherasascroll,andthestarsshallfallasafig—treecastethheruntimelyfigs,andthereshallbetimenolonger:\"WhentheSonofmanshallcomeinHisglory,andallHisholyangelswithHim。\"Inlowerandlowertonestheywouldtalk,tillatlasttheyfellintowhispers;thentheywouldwishgoodnightsoftly,andwalkhomehushedandquiet。

  Tonight,whenLyndalllookedin,Waldosatbeforethefirewatchingapotwhichsimmeredthere,withhisslateandpencilinhishand;hisfathersatatthetableburiedinthecolumnsofathree—weeks—oldnewspaper;andthestrangerlaystretchedonthebedinthecorner,fastasleep,hismouthopen,hisgreatlimbsstretchedoutloosely,betokeningmuchweariness。

  Thegirlputtherationsdownuponthetable,snuffedthecandle,andstoodlookingatthefigureonthebed。

  \"UncleOtto,\"shesaidpresently,layingherhanddownonthenewspaper,andcausingtheoldGermantolookupoverhisglasses,\"howlongdidthatmansayhehadbeenwalking?\"

  \"Sincethismorning,poorfellow!Agentleman——notaccustomedtowalking——

  horsedied——poorfellow!\"saidtheGerman,pushingouthislipandglancingcommiseratinglyoverhisspectaclesinthedirectionofthebedwherethestrangerlay,withhisflabbydoublechin,andbrokenbootsthroughwhichthefleshshone。

  \"Anddoyoubelievehim,UncleOtto?\"

  \"Believehim?whyofcourseIdo。Hehimselftoldmethestorythreetimesdistinctly。\"

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