第6章
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  \"Nothing,\"saidLyndallquietly;\"onlytheyhavelockedusin。\"

  Sheturned,andwentbacktobedagain。ButerelongEmheardasoundofmovement。Lyndallhadclimbedupintothewindow,andwithherfingersfeltthewoodworkthatsurroundedthepanes。Slippingdown,thegirlloosenedtheironknobfromthefootofthebedstead,andclimbingupagainshebrokewithiteverypaneofglassinthewindow,beginningatthetopandendingatthebottom。

  \"Whatareyoudoing?\"askedEm,whoheardthefallingfragments。

  Hercompanionmadehernoreply;butleanedoneverylittlecross—bar,whichcrackedandgavewaybeneathher。Thenshepressedwithallherstrengthagainsttheshutter。Shehadthoughtthewoodenbuttonswouldgiveway,butbytheclinkingsoundsheknewthattheironbarhadbeenputacross。Shewasquitequietforatime。Clamberingdown,shetookfromthetableasmallone—bladedpenknife,withwhichshebegantopeckatthehardwoodoftheshutter。

  \"Whatareyoudoingnow?\"askedEm,whohadceasedcryinginherwonder,andhaddrawnnear。

  \"Tryingtomakeahole,\"wastheshortreply。

  \"Doyouthinkyouwillbeableto?\"

  \"No;butIamtrying。\"

  InanagonyofsuspenseEmwaited。FortenminutesLyndallpecked。Theholewasthree—eighthsofaninchdeep——thenthebladesprungintotenpieces。

  \"Whathashappenednow?\"Emasked,blubberingafresh。

  \"Nothing,\"saidLyndall。\"Bringmemynightgown,apieceofpaper,andthematches。\"

  Wondering,Emfumbledabouttillshefoundthem。

  \"Whatareyougoingtodowiththem?\"shewhispered。

  \"Burndownthewindow。\"

  \"Butwon’tthewholehousetakefireandburndowntoo?\"

  \"Yes。\"

  \"Butwillitnotbeverywicked?\"

  \"Yes,very。AndIdonotcare。\"

  Shearrangedthenightgowncarefullyinthecornerofthewindow,withthechipsoftheframeaboutit。Therewasonlyonematchinthebox。Shedrewitcarefullyalongthewall。Foramomentitburntupblue,andshowedthetinyfacewithitsglisteningeyes。Shehelditcarefullytothepaper。Foraninstantitburntupbrightly,thenflickeredandwentout。Sheblewthespark,butitdiedalso。Thenshethrewthepaperontotheground,trodonit,andwenttoherbed,andbegantoundress。

  Emrushedtothedoor,knockingagainstitwildly。

  \"Oh,TantSannie!TantSannie!Oh,letusout!\"shecried。\"Oh,Lyndall,whatarewetodo?\"

  Lyndallwipedadropofbloodoffthelipshehadbitten。

  \"Iamgoingtosleep,\"shesaid。\"Ifyouliketositthereandhowltillthemorning,do。Perhapsyouwillfindthatithelps;Ineverheardthathowlinghelpedanyone。\"

  Longafter,whenEmherselfhadgonetobedandwasalmostasleep,Lyndallcameandstoodatherbedside。

  \"Here,\"shesaid,slippingalittlepotofpowderintoherhand;\"rubsomeontoyourface。Doesitnotburnwhereshestruckyou?\"

  Thenshecreptbacktoherownbed。Long,longafter,whenEmwasreallyasleep,shelaystillawake,andfoldedherhandsonherlittlebreast,andmuttered——

  \"Whenthatdaycomes,andIamstrong,Iwillhateeverythingthathaspower,andhelpeverythingthatisweak。\"Andshebitherlipagain。

  TheGermanlookedoutatthecabindoorforthelasttimethatnight。Thenhepacedtheroomslowlyandsighed。Thenhedrewoutpenandpaper,andsatdowntowrite,rubbinghisoldgreyeyeswithhisknucklesbeforehebegan。

  \"MyChickens:Youdidnotcometosaygood—byetotheoldman。Mightyou?

  Ah,well,thereisalandwheretheypartnomore,wheresaintsimmortalreign。

  \"Isitherealone,andIthinkofyou。Willyouforgettheoldman?Whenyouwaketomorrowhewillbefaraway。Theoldhorseislazy,buthehashissticktohelphim;thatisthreelegs。Hecomesbackonedaywithgoldanddiamonds。Willyouwelcomehim?Well,weshallsee。IgotomeetWaldo。Hecomesbackwiththewagon;thenhefollowsme。Poorboy?Godknows。Thereisalandwhereallthingsaremaderight,butthatlandisnothere。

  \"Mylittlechildren,servetheSaviour;giveyourheartstoHimwhileyouareyetyoung。Lifeisshort。

  \"Nothingismine,otherwiseIwouldsay,Lyndall,takemybooks,Emmystones。NowIsaynothing。Thethingsaremine:itisnotrighteous,Godknows?ButIamsilent。Letitbe。ButIfeelit,ImustsayIfeelit。

  \"Donotcrytoomuchfortheoldman。Hegoesouttoseekhisfortune,andcomesbackwithitinabag,itmaybe。

  \"Ilovemychildren。Dotheythinkofme?IamOldOtto,whogoesouttoseekhisfortune。

  O。F。\"

  Havingconcludedthisquaintproduction,heputitwherethechildrenwouldfinditthenextmorning,andproceededtopreparehisbundle。Heneverthoughtofenteringaprotestagainstthelossofhisgoods;likeachild,hesubmitted,andwept。Hehadbeenthereelevenyears,anditwashardtogoaway。Hespreadopenonthebedabluehandkerchief,andonitputonebyonethethingshethoughtmostnecessaryandimportant——alittlebagofcuriousseeds,whichhemeanttoplantsomeday,anoldGermanhymn—book,threemisshapenstonesthathegreatlyvalued,aBible,ashirtandtwohandkerchiefs;thentherewasroomfornothingmore。Hetiedupthebundletightlyandputitonachairbyhisbedside。

  \"Thatisnotmuch;theycannotsayItakemuch,\"hesaid,lookingatit。

  Heputhisknottedstickbesideit,hisbluetobaccobagandhisshortpipe,andtheninspectedhiscoats。Hehadtwoleft——amoth—eatenovercoatandablackalpaca,outattheelbows。Hedecidedfortheovercoat;itwaswarm,certainly,butthenhecouldcarryitoverhisarmandonlyputitonwhenhemetsomeonealongtheroad。Itwasmorerespectablethantheblackalpaca。

  Hehungthegreatcoatoverthebackofthechair,andstuffedahardbitofroaster—cakeundertheknotofthebundle,andthenhispreparationswerecompleted。TheGermanstoodcontemplatingthemwithmuchsatisfaction。Hehadalmostforgottenhissorrowatleavinginhispleasureatpreparing。

  Suddenlyhestarted;anexpressionofintensepainpassedoverhisface。

  Hedrewbackhisleftarmquickly,andthenpressedhisrighthanduponhisbreast。

  \"Ah,thesuddenpangagain,\"hesaid。

  Hisfacewaswhite,butitquicklyregaineditscolour。Thentheoldmanbusiedhimselfinputtingeverythingright。

  \"Iwillleaveitneat。TheyshallnotsayIdidnotleaveitneat,\"hesaid。Eventhelittlebagsofseedsonthemantelpieceheputinrowsanddusted。Thenheundressedandgotintobed。Underhispillowwasalittlestorybook。Hedrewitforth。TotheoldGermanastorywasnostory。Itseventswereasrealandasimportanttohimselfasthemattersofhisownlife。

  HecouldnotgoawaywithoutknowingwhetherthatwickedearlrelentedandwhetherthebaronmarriedEmilina。Soheadjustedhisspectaclesandbegantoread。Occasionally,ashisfeelingsbecametoostronglymoved,heejaculated:\"Ah,Ithoughtso!Thatwasarogue!Isawitbefore!I

  knewitfromthebeginning!\"Morethanhalfanhourhadpassedwhenhelookeduptothesilverwatchatthetopofhisbed。

  \"Themarchislongtomorrow;thiswillnotdo,\"hesaid,takingoffhisspectaclesandputtingthemcarefullyintothebooktomarktheplace。

  \"ThiswillbegoodreadingasIwalkalongtomorrow,\"headded,ashestuffedthebookintothepocketofthegreatcoat;\"verygoodreading。\"Henoddedhisheadandlaydown。Hethoughtalittleofhisowntroubles,agooddealofthetwolittlegirlshewasleaving,oftheearl,ofEmilina,ofthebaron;buthewassoonasleep——sleepingaspeacefullyasalittlechild,uponwhoseinnocentsoulsorrowandcarecannotrest。

  Itwasveryquietintheroom。Thecoalsinthefireplacethrewadullredlightacrossthefloorupontheredlionsonthequilt。Eleveno’clockcame,andtheroomwasverystill。

  Oneo’clockcame。Theglimmerhaddiedout,thoughtheasheswerestillwarm,andtheroomwasverydark。Thegreymouse,whohadhisholeunderthetoolbox,cameoutandsatonthesacksinthecorner;then,growingbolder,theroomwassodark,itclimbedthechairatthebedside,nibbledattheroaster—cake,tookonebitequicklyatthecandle,andthensatonhishauncheslistening。Itheardtheevenbreathingoftheoldman,andthestepsofthehungryKafferdoggoinghislastroundinsearchofaboneoraskinthathadbeenforgotten;anditheardthewhitehencalloutasthewildcatranawaywithoneofherbrood,anditheardthechickencry。

  Thenthegreymousewentbacktoitsholeunderthetoolbox,andtheroomwasquiet。Andtwoo’clockcame。Bythattimethenightwasgrowndullandcloudy。Thewildcathadgonetoitshomeonthekopje;theKafferdoghadfoundabone,andlaygnawingit。

  Anintensequietreignedeverywhere。OnlyinherroomtheBoer—womantossedhergreatarmsinhersleep;forshedreamedthatadarkshadowwithoutstretchedwingsfledslowlyoverherhouse,andshemoanedandshivered。

  Andthenightwasverystill。

  But,quietasallplaceswere,therewasaquitepeculiarquietintheGerman’sroom。Thoughyoustrainedyourearmostcarefullyyoucaughtnosoundofbreathing。

  Hewasnotgone,fortheoldcoatstillhungonthechair——thecoatthatwastobeputonwhenhemetanyone;andthebundleandstickwerereadyfortomorrow’slongmarch。TheoldGermanhimselflaythere,hiswavyblackhairjusttouchedwithgreythrownbackuponthepillow。Theoldfacewaslyingtherealoneinthedark,smilinglikealittlechild’s——oh,sopeacefully。Thereisastrangerwhosecoming,theysay,isworsethanalltheillsoflife,fromwhosepresencewefleeawaytrembling;buthecomesverytenderlysometimes。AnditseemedalmostasthoughDeathhadknownandlovedtheoldman,sogentlyittouchedhim。Andhowcoulditdealhardlywithhim——theloving,simple,childlikeoldman?

  Soitsmoothedoutthewrinklesthatwereintheoldforehead,andfixedthepassingsmile,andsealedtheeyesthattheymightnotweepagain;andthentheshortsleepoftimewasmeltedintothelong,longsleepofeternity。

  \"Howhashegrownsoyounginthisonenight?\"theysaidwhentheyfoundhiminthemorning。

  Yes,dearoldman;tosuchasyoutimebringsnoage。Youdiewiththepurityandinnocenceofyourchildhooduponyou,thoughyoudieinyourgreyhairs。

  Chapter1。IX。HeSeesAGhost。

  Bonapartestoodontheash—heap。Heespiedacrosstheplainamovingspeckandhechuckedhiscoat—tailsupanddowninexpectancyofascene。

  Thewagoncameonslowly。Waldolaidcurledamongthesacksatthebackofthewagon,thehandinhisbreastrestingonthesheep—shearingmachine。

  Itwasfinishednow。Therightthoughthadstruckhimthedaybeforeashesat,halfasleep,watchingthewatergooverthemill—wheel。Hemutteredtohimselfwithhalf—closedeyes:

  \"Tomorrowsmooththecogs——tightenthescrewsalittle——showittothem。\"

  Thenafterapause——\"Overthewholeworld——thewholeworld——mine,thatI

  havemade!\"Hepressedthelittlewheelsandpulleysinhispockettilltheycracked。Presentlyhismutteringbecamelouder——\"Andfiftypounds——ablackhatformydadda——forLyndallabluesilk,verylight;andonepurpleliketheearth—bells,andwhiteshoes。\"Hemutteredon——\"Aboxfull,fullofbooks。Theyshalltellmeall,all,all,\"headded,movinghisfingersdesiringly:\"whythecrystalsgrowinsuchbeautifulshapes;whylightningrunstotheiron;whyblackpeopleareblack;whythesunlightmakesthingswarm。Ishallread,read,read,\"hemutteredslowly。Thencameoverhimsuddenlywhathecalled\"ThepresenceofGod\";asenseofagood,strongsomethingfoldinghimround。Hesmiledthroughhishalf—shuteyes。\"Ah,Father,myownFather,itissosweettofeelyou,likethewarmsunshine。

  TheBiblesandbookscannottellofyouandallIfeelyou。Theyaremixedwithmen’swords;butyou——\"

  Hismutteringsankintoinaudibleconfusion,till,openinghiseyeswide,itstruckhimthatthebrownplainhelookedatwastheoldhomefarm。Forhalfanhourtheyhadbeenridinginit,andhehadnotknownit。Herousedtheleader,whosatnoddingonthefrontofthewagonintheearlymorningsunlight。Theywerewithinhalfamileofthehomestead。Itseemedtohimthathehadbeengonefromthemallayear。HefanciedhecouldseeLyndallstandingonthebrickwalltowatchforhim;hisfather,passingfromonehousetotheother,stoppingtolook。

  Hecalledaloudtotheoxen。Foreachoneathomehehadbroughtsomething。Forhisfatherapieceoftobacco,boughtattheshopbythemill;forEmathimble;forLyndallabeautifulflowerdugoutbytheroots,ataplacewheretheyhadoutspanned;forTantSannieahandkerchief。WhentheydrewnearthehousehethrewthewhiptotheKafferleader,andsprungfromthesideofthewagontorunon。Bonapartestoppedhimasheranpasttheash—heap。

  \"Goodmorning,mydearboy。Whereareyourunningtosofastwithyourrosycheeks?\"

  Theboylookedupathim,gladeventoseeBonaparte。

  \"Iamgoingtothecabin,\"hesaid,outofbreath。

  \"Youwon’tfindtheminjustnow——notyourgoodoldfather,\"saidBonaparte。

  \"Whereishe?\"askedthelad。

  \"There,beyondthecamps,\"saidBonaparte,wavinghishandoratoricallytowardthestone—walledostrich—camps。

  \"Whatishedoingthere?\"askedtheboy。

  Bonapartepattedhimonthecheekkindly。

  \"Wecouldnotkeephimanymore,itwastoohot。We’veburiedhim,myboy,\"saidBonaparte,touchingwithhisfingertheboy’scheek。Wecouldn’tkeephimanymore。He,he,he!\"laughedBonaparte,astheboyfledawayalongthelowstonewall,almostfurtively,asoneinfear……

  Atfiveo’clockBonapartekneltbeforeaboxintheGerman’sroom。Hewasbusilyunpackingit。

  IthadbeenagreeduponbetweenTantSannieandhimself,thatnowtheGermanwasgonehe,Bonaparte,wastobenolongerschoolmaster,butoverseerofthefarm。Inreturnforhispastscholasticlabourshehadexpressedhimselfwillingtotakepossessionofthedeadman’sgoodsandroom。TantSanniehardlylikedthearrangement。ShehadagreatdealmorerespectfortheGermandeadthantheGermanliving,andwouldratherhisgoodshadbeenallowedtodescendpeacefullytohisson。Forshewasafirmbelieverinthechinksintheworldabove,wherenotonlyears,buteyesmightbeappliedtoseehowthingswentoninthisworldbelow。Sheneverfeltsurehowfarthespirit—worldmightoverlapthisworldofsense,and,asarule,prudentlyabstainedfromdoinganythingwhichmightoffendunseenauditors。Forthisreasonsheabstainedfromill—usingthedeadEnglishman’sdaughterandniece,andforthisreasonshewouldrathertheboyhadhadhisfather’sgoods。ButitwashardtorefuseBonaparteanythingwhensheandhesatsohappilytogetherintheeveningdrinkingcoffee,BonapartetellingherinthebrokenDutchhewasfastlearninghowheadoredfatwomen,andwhatasplendidfarmerhewas。

  Soatfiveo’clockonthisafternoonBonapartekneltintheGerman’sroom。

  \"Somewhere,hereitis,\"hesaid,ashepackedtheoldclothescarefullyoutofthebox,and,findingnothing,packedtheminagain。\"Somewhereinthisroomitis;andifit’shereBonapartefindsit,\"herepeated。\"Youdidn’tstayherealltheseyearswithoutmakingalittlepilesomewhere,mylamb。Youweren’tsuchafoolasyoulooked。Oh,no!\"saidBonaparte。

  Henowwalkedabouttheroom,divinghisfingersineverywhere:stickingthemintothegreatcrevicesinthewallandfrighteningoutthespiders;

  rappingthemagainsttheoldplastertillitcrackedandfellinpieces;

  peeringupthechimney,tillthesootdroppedonhisbaldheadandblackenedit。Hefeltinlittlebluebags;hetriedtoraisethehearth—

  stone;heshookeachbook,tilltheoldleavesfelldowninshowersonthefloor。

  Itwasgettingdark,andBonapartestoodwithhisfingeronhisnosereflecting。Finallyhewalkedtothedoor,behindwhichhungthetrousersandwaistcoatthedeadmanhadlastworn。Hehadfeltinthem,buthurriedly,justafterthefuneralthedaybefore;hewouldexaminethemagain。Stickinghisfingersintothewaistcoatpockets,hefoundinonecornerahole。Pressinghishandthroughit,betweentheliningandthecloth,hepresentlycameintocontactwithsomething。Bonapartedrewitforth——asmall,squareparcel,sewedupinsail—cloth。Hegazedatit,squeezedit;itcracked,asthoughfullofbank—notes。Heputitquicklyintohisownwaistcoatpocket,andpeepedoverthehalf—doortoseeiftherewasanyonecoming。Therewasnothingtobeseenbutthelastraysofyellowsunsetlight,paintingthekaroobushesintheplain,andshiningontheash—heap,wherethefowlswerepecking。Heturnedandsatdownonthenearestchair,and,takingouthispen—knife,rippedtheparcelopen。

  Thefirstthingthatfellwasashowerofyellowfadedpapers。Bonaparteopenedthemcarefullyonebyone,andsmoothedthemoutonhisknee。Therewassomethingveryvaluabletobehiddensocarefully,thoughtheGermancharactershecouldnotdecipher。Whenhecametothelastone,hefelttherewassomethinghardinit。

  \"You’vegotit,Bon,myboy!you’vegotit!\"hecried,slappinghisleghard。Edgingnearertothedoor,forthelightwasfading,heopenedthepapercarefully。Therewasnothinginsidebutaplaingoldwedding—ring。

  \"Betterthannothing!\"saidBonaparte,tryingtoputitonhislittlefinger,which,however,provedtoofat。

  Hetookitoffandsetitdownonthetablebeforehim,andlookedatitwithhiscrosswiseeyes。

  \"Whenthatauspicioushour,Sannie,\"hesaid,\"shallhavearrived,when,panting,Ishallleadthee,lightedbyHymen’storch,totheconnubialaltar,thenuponthyfairamaranthinefinger,myjoyousbride,shallthisringrepose。

  \"Thyfairbody,oh,mygirl,ShallBonapartepossess;

  Hisfingersinthymoney—bags,Hetherein,too,shallmess。\"

  Havinggivenutterancetothisfloodofpoesy,hesatlostinjoyousreflection。

  \"Hetherein,too,shallmess,\"herepeatedmeditatively。

  Atthisinstant,asBonaparteswore,andsworetrulytotheendofhislife,aslowanddistinctrapwasgivenonthecrownofhisbaldhead。

  Bonapartestartedandlookedup。Noriemorstrap,hungdownfromtheraftersabove,andnotahumancreaturewasnearthedoor。Itwasgrowingdark;hedidnotlikeit。Hebegantofoldupthepapersexpeditiously。

  Hestretchedouthishandforthering。Theringwasgone!Gone,althoughnohumancreaturehadenteredtheroom;gone,althoughnoformhadcrossedthedoorway。Gone!

  Hewouldnotsleepthere,thatwascertain。

  Hestuffedthepapersintohispocket。Ashedidso,threeslowanddistincttapsweregivenonthecrownofhishead。Bonaparte’sjawfell:

  eachseparatejointlostitspower:hecouldnotmove;hedarednotrise;

  histonguelaylooseinhismouth。

  \"Takeall,takeall!\"hegurgledinhisthroat。\"I——Idonotwantthem。

  Take\"——

  Herearesolutetugatthegreycurlsatthebackofhisheadcausedhimtoleapup,yellingwildly。Washetositstillparalyzed,tobedraggedawaybodilytothedevil?Withterrificshriekshefled,castingnoglancebehind……

  Whenthedewwasfalling,andtheeveningwasdark,asmallfiguremovedtowardthegateofthefurthestostrich—camp,drivingabirdbeforeit。

  Whenthegatewasopenedandthebirddriveninandthegatefastened,itturnedaway,butthensuddenlypausednearthestonewall。

  \"Isthatyou,Waldo?\"saidLyndall,hearingasound。

  Theboywassittingonthedampgroundwithhisbacktothewall。Hegavehernoanswer。

  \"Come,\"shesaid,bendingoverhim,\"Ihavebeenlookingforyouallday。\"

  Hemumbledsomething。

  \"Youhavehadnothingtoeat。Ihaveputsomesupperinyourroom。Youmustcomehomewithme,Waldo。\"

  Shetookhishand,andtheboyroseslowly。

  Shemadehimtakeherarm,andtwistedhersmallfingersamonghis。

  \"Youmustforget,\"shewhispered。\"SinceithappenedIwalk,Italk,I

  neversitstill。Ifweremember,wecannotbringbackthedead。\"Sheknitherlittlefingerscloseramonghis。\"Forgettingisthebestthing。Hedidwatchitcoming,\"shewhisperedpresently。\"Thatisthedreadfulthing,toseeitcoming!\"Sheshuddered。\"Iwantittocomesotometoo。

  WhydoyouthinkIwasdrivingthatbird?\"sheaddedquickly。\"ThatwasHans,thebirdthathatesBonaparte。Ilethimoutthisafternoon;I

  thoughthewouldchasehimandperhapskillhim。\"

  Theboyshowednosignofinterest。

  \"Hedidnotcatchhim;butheputhisheadoverthehalf—doorofyourcabinandfrightenedhimhorribly。Hewasthere,busystealingyourthings。

  Perhapshewillleavethemalonenow;butIwishthebirdhadtroddenonhim。\"

  Theysaidnomoretilltheyreachedthedoorofthecabin。

  \"Thereisacandleandsupperonthetable。Youmusteat,\"shesaidauthoritatively。\"Icannotstaywithyounow,lesttheyfindoutaboutthebird。\"

  Hegraspedherarmandbroughthismouthclosetoherear。

  \"ThereisnoGod!\"healmosthissed;\"noGod;notanywhere!\"

  Shestarted。

  \"Notanywhere!\"

  Hegrounditoutbetweenhisteeth,andshefelthishotbreathonhercheek。

  \"Waldo,youaremad,\"shesaid,drawingherselffromhim,instinctively。

  Heloosenedhisgraspandturnedawayfromheralso。

  Intruth,isitnotlife’sway?Wefightourlittlebattlesalone;youyours,Imine。Wemustnothelporfindhelp。

  Whenyourlifeismostreal,tomeyouaremad;whenyouragonyisblackest,Ilookatyouandwonder。Friendshipisgood,astrongstick;

  butwhenthehourcomestoleanhard,itgives。Inthedayoftheirbitterestneedallsoulsarealone。

  Lyndallstoodbyhiminthedark,pityingly,wonderingly。Ashewalkedtothedoor,shecameafterhim。

  \"Eatyoursupper;itwilldoyougood,\"shesaid。

  Sherubbedhercheekagainsthisshoulderandthenranaway。

  InthefrontroomthelittlewoollyKaffergirlwaswashingTantSannie’sfeetinasmalltub,andBonaparte,whosatonthewoodensofa,waspullingoffhisshoesandstockingsthathisownfeetmightbewashedalso。Therewerethreecandlesburningintheroom,andheandTantSanniesatclosetogether,withtheleanHottentotnotfaroff;forwhenghostsareaboutmuchlightisneeded,thereisgreatstrengthinnumbers。Bonapartehadcompletelyrecoveredfromtheeffectsofhisfrightintheafternoon,andthenumerousdosesofbrandythatithadbeennecessarytoadministertohimtoeffecthisrestorationhadputhimintoasingularlypleasantandamiablemood。

  \"ThatboyWaldo,\"saidBonaparte,rubbinghistoes,\"tookhimselfoffcoollythismorningassoonasthewagoncame,andhasnotdoneastiverofworkallday。I’llnothavethatkindofthingnowI’mmasterofthisfarm。\"

  TheHottentotmaidtranslated。

  \"Ah,Iexpecthe’ssorrythathisfather’sdead,\"saidTantSannie。\"It’snature,youknow。Icriedthewholemorningwhenmyfatherdied。Onecanalwaysgetanotherhusband,butonecan’tgetanotherfather,\"saidTantSannie,castingasidelongglanceatBonaparte。

  BonaparteexpressedawishtogiveWaldohisordersforthenextday’swork,andaccordinglythelittlewoolly—headedKafferwassenttocallhim。

  Afteraconsiderabletimetheboyappeared,andstoodinthedoorway。

  Iftheyhaddressedhiminoneoftheswallow—tailedcoats,andoiledhishairtillthedropsfellfromit,anditlayassmoothasanelder’sonsacramentSunday,therewouldstillhavebeensomethingunanointedintheaspectofthefellow。Asitwas,standingthereinhisstrangeoldcostume,hisheadpresentingmuchtheappearanceofhavingbeendeeplyrolledinsand,hiseyelidsswollen,thehairhangingoverhisforehead,andadoggedsullennessonhisfeatures,hepresentedmosttheappearanceofanill—conditionedyoungbuffalo。

  \"BelovedLord,\"criedTantSannie,\"howhelooks!Comein,boy。Couldn’tyoucomeandsaygood—daytome?Don’tyouwantsomesupper?\"

  Hesaidhewantednothing,andturnedhisheavyeyesawayfromher。

  \"There’saghostbeenseeninyourfather’sroom,\"saidTantSannie。\"Ifyou’reafraidyoucansleepinthekitchen。\"

  \"Iwillsleepinourroom,\"saidtheboyslowly。

  \"Well,youcangonow,\"shesaid;\"butbeupearlytotakethesheep。Theherd——\"

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