\"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——\"