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。\"