shecried。\"Whenweasktobedoctors,lawyers,law—makers,anythingbutill—paiddrudges,theysay——No;butyouhavemen’schivalrousattention;
nowthinkofthatandbesatisfied!Whatwouldyoudowithoutit?\"
Thebitterlittlesilverylaugh,soseldomheard,rangoutacrossthebushes。Shebitherlittleteethtogether。
\"IwascomingupinCobb&Co。’stheotherday。Atalittlewaysidehotelwehadtochangethelargecoachforasmallone。Weweretenpassengers,eightmenandtwowomen。AsIsatinthehousethegentlemencameandwhisperedtome,’Thereisnotroomforallinthenewcoach,takeyourseatquickly。’Wehurriedout,andtheygavemethebestseat,andcoveredmewithrugs,becauseitwasdrizzling。Thenthelastpassengercamerunninguptothecoach——anoldwomanwithawonderfulbonnet,andablackshawlpinnedwithayellowpin。
\"’Thereisnoroom,’theysaid;’youmustwaittillnextweek’scoachtakesyouup;’butsheclimbedontothestep,andheldonatthewindowwithbothhands。
\"’Myson—in—lawisill,andImustgoandseehim,’shesaid。
\"’Mygoodwoman,’saidone,’Iamreallyexceedinglysorrythatyourson—
in—lawisill;butthereisabsolutelynoroomforyouhere。’
\"’Youhadbettergetdown,’saidanother,’orthewheelwillcatchyou。’
\"Igotuptogivehermyplace。
\"’Oh,no,no!’theycried,’wewillnotallowthat。’
\"’Iwillratherkneel,’saidone,andhecroucheddownatmyfeet;sothewomancamein。
\"Therewerenineofusinthatcoach,andonlyoneshowedchivalrousattention——andthatwasawomantoawoman。
\"Ishallbeoldandugly,too,oneday,andIshalllookformen’schivalroushelp,butIshallnotfindit。
\"Thebeesareveryattentivetotheflowerstilltheirhoneyisdone,andthentheyflyoverthem。Idon’tknowiftheflowersfeelgratefultothebees;theyaregreatfoolsiftheydo。\"
\"Butsomewomen,\"saidWaldo,speakingasthoughthewordsforcedthemselvesfromhimatthatmoment,\"somewomenhavepower。\"
Sheliftedherbeautifuleyestohisface。
\"Power!Didyoueverhearofmenbeingaskedwhetherothersoulsshouldhavepowerornot?Itisborninthem。Youmaydamupthefountainofwater,andmakeitastagnantmarsh,oryoumayletitrunfreeanddoitswork;butyoucannotsaywhetheritshallbethere;itisthere。Anditwillact,ifnotopenlyforgood,thencovertlyforevil;butitwillact。
IfGoethehadbeenstolenawayachild,andrearedinarobberhordeinthedepthsofaGermanforest,doyouthinktheworldwouldhavehad\"Faust\"
and\"Iphegenie?\"ButhewouldhavebeenGoethestill——stronger,wiserthanhisfellows。Atnight,roundtheirwatch—fire,hewouldhavechantedwildsongsofrapineandmurder,tillthedarkfacesabouthimweremovedandtrembled。Hissongswouldhaveechoedonfromfathertoson,andnervedtheheartandarm——forevil。DoyouthinkifNapoleonhadbeenbornawomanthathewouldhavebeencontentedtogivesmalltea—partiesandtalksmallscandal?Hewouldhaverisen;buttheworldwouldnothaveheardofhimasithearsofhimnow——amangreatandkinglywithallhissins;hewouldhaveleftoneofthosenamesthatstaintheleafofeveryhistory——
thenamesofwomen,who,havingpower,butbeingdeniedtherighttoexerciseitopenly,ruleinthedark,covertly,andbystealth,throughthemenwhosepassionstheyfeedonandbywhomtheyclimb。
\"Power!\"shesaid,suddenly,smitingherlittlehandupontherail。\"Yes,wehavepower;andsincewearenottoexpenditintunnellingmountains,norhealingdiseases,normakinglaws,normoney,noronanyextraneousobject,weexpenditonyou。Youareourgoods,ourmerchandise,ourmaterialforoperatingon;webuyyou,wesellyou,wemakefoolsofyou,weactthewilyoldJewwithyou,wekeepsixofyoucrawlingtoourlittlefeet,andprayingonlyforatouchofourlittlehand;andtheysaytruly,therewasneveranacheorpainorbrokenheartbutawomanwasatthebottomofit。Wearenottostudylaw,norscience,norart,sowestudyyou。Thereisneveranerveorfibreinaman’snaturebutweknowit。Wekeepsixofyoudancinginthepalmofonelittlehand,\"shesaid,balancingheroutstretchedarmgracefully,asthoughtinybeingsdisportedthemselvesinitspalm。\"There,wethrowyouaway,andyousinktothedevil,\"shesaid,foldingherarmscomposedly。\"Therewasneveramanwhosaidonewordforwomanbuthesaidtwoforman,andthreeforthewholehumanrace。\"
Shewatchedthebirdpeckingupthelastyellowgrains;butWaldolookedonlyather。
Whenshespokeagainitwasverymeasuredly。
\"Theybringweightyargumentsagainstuswhenweaskfortheperfectfreedomofwomen,\"shesaid;\"but,whenyoucometotheobjections,theyarelikepumpkindevilswithcandlesinside,hollow,andcan’tbite。Theysaythatwomendonotwishforthesphereandfreedomweaskforthem,andwouldnotuseit!
\"Ifthebirddoeslikeitscage,anddoeslikeitssugarandwillnotleaveit,whykeepthedoorsoverycarefullyshut?Whynotopenit,onlyalittle?Dotheyknowthereismanyabirdwillnotbreakitswingsagainstthebars,butwouldflyifthedoorswereopen?\"Sheknitherforeheadandleanedfurtheroverthebars。
\"Thentheysay,’Ifthewomenhavethelibertyyouaskfor,theywillbefoundinpositionsforwhichtheyarenotfitted!’Iftwomenclimboneladder,didyoueverseetheweakestanywherebutatthefoot?Thesurestsignoffitnessissuccess。Theweakestneverwinsbutwherethereishandicapping。Nature,lefttoherself,willasbeautifullyapportionaman’sworktohiscapacitiesaslongagesagoshegraduatedthecoloursonthebird’sbreast。Ifwearenotfit,yougiveus,tonopurpose,therighttolabour;theworkwillfalloutofourhandsintothosethatarewiser。\"
Shetalkedmorerapidlyasshewenton,asonetalksofthatoverwhichtheyhavebroodedlong,andwhichliesneartheirhearts。
Waldowatchedherintently。
\"Theysaywomenhaveonegreatandnobleworkleftthem,andtheydoitill。Thatistrue;theydoitexecrably。Itistheworkthatdemandsthebroadestculture,andtheyhavenoteventhenarrowest。Thelawyermayseenodeeperthanhislaw—books,andthechemistseenofurtherthanthewindowsofhislaboratory,andtheymaydotheirworkwell。Butthewomanwhodoeswoman’sworkneedsamany—sided,multiformculture;theheightsanddepthsofhumanlifemustnotbebeyondthereachofhervision;shemusthaveknowledgeofmenandthingsinmanystates,awidecatholicityofsympathy,thestrengththatspringsfromknowledge,andthemagnanimitywhichspringsfromstrength。Webeartheworld,andwemakeit。Thesoulsoflittlechildrenaremarvellouslydelicateandtenderthings,andkeepforevertheshadowthatfirstfallsonthem,andthatisthemother’soratbestawoman’s。Therewasneveragreatmanwhohadnotagreatmother——itishardlyanexaggeration。Thefirstsixyearsofourlifemakeus;allthatisaddedlaterisveneer;andyetsomesay,ifawomancancookadinnerordressherselfwellshehascultureenough。
\"Themightiestandnoblestofhumanworkisgiventous,andwedoitill。
Sendanavvietoworkintoanartist’sstudio,andseewhatyouwillfindthere!Andyet,thankGod,wehavethiswork,\"sheadded,quickly——\"itistheonewindowthroughwhichweseeintothegreatworldofearnestlabour。
Themeanestgirlwhodancesanddressesbecomessomethinghigherwhenherchildrenlookupintoherfaceandaskherquestions。Itistheonlyeducationwehaveandwhichtheycannottakefromus。\"
Shesmiledslightly。\"Theysaythatwecomplainofwoman’sbeingcompelledtolookuponmarriageasaprofession;butthatsheisfreetoenteruponitorleaveit,asshepleases。
\"Yes——andacatsetafloatinapondisfreetositinthetubtillitdiesthere,itisundernoobligationtowetitsfeet;andadrowningmanmaycatchatastrawornot,justashelikes——itisagloriousliberty!Letanymanthinkforfiveminutesofwhatoldmaidenhoodmeanstoawoman——andthenlethimbesilent。Isiteasytobearthroughlifeanamethatinitselfsignifiesdefeat?todwell,asnineoutoftenunmarriedwomenmust,underthefingerofanotherwoman?Isiteasytolookforwardtoanoldagewithouthonour,withouttherewardofusefullabour,withoutlove?I
wonderhowmanymentherearewhowouldgiveupeverythingthatisdearinlifeforthesakeofmaintainingahighidealpurity。\"
Shelaughedalittlelaughthatwasclearwithoutbeingpleasant。
\"Andthen,whentheyhavenootherargumentagainstus,theysay,’Goon;
butwhenyouhavemadewomanwhatyouwish,andherchildreninheritherculture,youwilldefeatyourself。Manwillgraduallybecomeextinctfromexcessofintellect,thepassionswhichreplenishtheracewilldie。’
Fools!\"shesaid,curlingherprettylip。\"AHottentotsitsattheroadsideandfeedsonarottenbonehehasfoundthere,andtakesouthisbottleofCape—smokeandswillsatit,andgruntswithsatisfaction;andtheculturedchildofthenineteenthcenturysitsinhisarmchair,andsipschoicewineswiththelipofaconnoisseur,andtastesdelicatedisheswithadelicatepalate,andwithasatisfactionofwhichtheHottentotknowsnothing。Heavyjawandslopingforehead——allhavegonewithincreasingintellect;buttheanimalappetitesaretherestill——refined,discriminative,butimmeasurablyintensified。Fools!Beforemenforgaveorworshipped,whiletheywereweakontheirhindlegs,didtheynoteatanddrink,andfightforwives?Whenallthelatteradditionstohumanityhavevanished,willnotthefoundationonwhichtheyarebuiltremain?\"
Shewassilentthenforawhile,andsaidsomewhatdreamily,moreasthoughspeakingtoherselfthantohim,\"Theyask,Whatwillyougain,evenifmandoesnotbecomeextinct?——youwillhavebroughtjusticeandequalityontotheearth,andsentlovefromit。Whenmenandwomenareequalstheywilllovenomore。Yourhighly—
culturedwomenwillnotbelovable,willnotlove。
\"Dotheyseenothing,understandnothing?ItisTantSanniewhoburieshusbandsoneafteranother,andfoldsherhandsresignedly,——’TheLordgave,andtheLordhathtakenaway,andblessedbethenameoftheLord,’——
andshelooksforanother。Itisthehard—headed,deepthinkerwho,whenthewifewhohasthoughtandworkedwithhimgoes,canfindnorest,andlingersnearhertillhefindssleepbesideher。
\"Agreatsouldrawsandisdrawnwithamorefierceintensitythananysmallone。Byeveryinchwegrowinintellectualheightourlovestrikesdownitsrootsdeeper,andspreadsoutitsarmswider。Itisforlove’ssakeyetmorethanforanyotherthatwelookforthatnewtime。\"
Shehadleanedherheadagainstthestones,andwatchedwithhersad,softeyestheretreatingbird。\"Thenwhenthattimecomes,\"shesaidlowly,\"whenloveisnomoreboughtorsold,whenitisnotameansofmakingbread,wheneachwoman’slifeisfilledwithearnest,independentlabour,thenlovewillcometoher,astrange,suddensweetnessbreakinginuponherearnestwork;notsoughtfor,butfound。Then,butnotnow——\"
Waldowaitedforhertofinishthesentence,butsheseemedtohaveforgottenhim。
\"Lyndall,\"hesaid,puttinghishanduponher——shestarted——\"ifyouthinkthatthatnewtimewillbesogreat,sogood,youwhospeaksoeasily——\"
Sheinterruptedhim。
\"Speak!speak!\"shesaid,\"thedifficultyisnottospeak;thedifficultyistokeepsilence。\"
\"Butwhydoyounottrytobringthattime?\"hesaidwithpitifulsimplicity。\"WhenyouspeakIbelieveallyousay;otherpeoplewouldlistentoyoualso。\"
\"Iamnotsosureofthat,\"shesaidwithasmile。
Thenoverthesmallfacecamethewearylookithadwornlastnightasitwatchedtheshadowinthecorner,Ah,soweary!
\"I,Waldo,I?\"shesaid。\"Iwilldonothinggoodformyself,nothingfortheworld,tillsomeonewakesme。Iamasleep,swathed,shutupinself;
tillIhavebeendeliveredIwilldelivernoone。\"
Helookedatherwondering,butshewasnotlookingathim。
\"Toseethegoodandthebeautiful,\"shesaid,\"andtohavenostrengthtoliveit,isonlytobeMosesonthemountainofNebo,withthelandatyourfeetandnopowertoenter。Itwouldbebetternottoseeit。Come,\"shesaid,lookingupintohisface,andseeingitsuncomprehendingexpression,\"letusgo,itisgettinglate。Dossisanxiousforhisbreakfastalso,\"
sheadded,wheelingroundandcallingtothedog,whowasendeavouringtounearthamole,anoccupationtowhichhehadbeenzealouslyaddictedfromthethirdmonth,butinwhichhehadneveronanysingleoccasionprovedsuccessful。
Waldoshoulderedhisbag,andLyndallwalkedonbeforeinsilence,withthedogclosetoherside。Perhapsshethoughtofthenarrownessofthelimitswithinwhichahumansoulmayspeakandbeunderstoodbyitsnearestofmentalkin,ofhowsoonitreachesthatsolitarylandoftheindividualexperience,inwhichnofellowfootfalliseverheard。Whateverherthoughtsmayhavebeen,shewassooninterrupted。Waldocameclosetoher,andstandingstill,producedwithawkwardnessfromhisbreast—pocketasmallcarvedbox。
\"Imadeitforyou,\"hesaid,holdingitout。
\"Ilikeit,\"shesaid,examiningitcarefully。
Theworkmanshipwasbetterthanthatofthegrave—post。Theflowersthatcovereditweredelicate,andhereandtheresmallconicalprotuberanceswereletinamongthem。Sheturneditroundcritically。Waldobentoveritlovingly。
\"Thereisonestrangethingaboutit,\"hesaidearnestly,puttingafingerononelittlepyramid。\"Imadeitwithoutthese,andIfeltsomethingwaswrong;Itriedmanychanges,andatlastIletthesein,andthenitwasright。Butwhywasit?Theyarenotbeautifulinthemselves。\"
\"Theyrelievethemonotonyofthesmoothleaves,Isuppose。\"
Heshookhisheadasoveraweightymatter。
\"Theskyismonotonous,\"hesaid,\"whenitisblue,andyetitisbeautiful。Ihavethoughtofthatoften;butitisnotmonotony,anditisnotvarietymakesbeauty。Whatisit?Thesky,andyourface,andthisbox——thesamethingisinthemall,onlymoreintheskyandinyourface。
Butwhatisit?\"
Shesmiled。
\"Soyouareatyouroldworkstill。Why,why,why?Whatisthereason?
Itisenoughforme,\"shesaid,\"ifIfindoutwhatisbeautifulandwhatisugly,whatisrealandwhatisnot。Whyitisthere,andoverthefinalcauseofthingsingeneral,Idon’ttroublemyself;theremustbeone,butwhatisittome?IfIhowltoalleternityIshallnevergetholdofit;
andifIdidImightbenobetteroff。ButyouGermansarebornwithanaptitudeforborrowing;youcan’thelpyourselves。Youmustsniffafterreasons,justasthatdogmustafteramole。Heknowsperfectlywellhewillnevercatchit,buthe’sundertheimperativenecessityofdiggingforit。\"
\"Buthemightfindit。\"
\"Might!——butheneverhasandneverwill。Lifeistooshorttorunaftermights;wemusthavecertainties。\"
Shetuckedtheboxunderherarmandwasabouttowalkon,whenGregoryRose,withshiningspurs,anostrichfeatherinhishat,andasilver—
headedwhip,careeredpast。Hebowedgallantlyashewentby。Theywaitedtillthedustofthehorse’shoofshadlaiditself。
\"There,\"saidLyndall,\"goesatruewoman——onebornforthespherethatsomewomenhavetofillwithoutbeingbornforit。Howhappyhewouldbesewingfrillsintohislittlegirl’sfrocks,andhowprettyhewouldlooksittinginaparlour,witharoughmanmakinglovetohim!Don’tyouthinkso?\"
\"Ishallnotstayherewhenheismaster,\"Waldoanswered,notabletoconnectanykindofbeautywithGregoryRose。
\"Ishouldimaginenot。Theruleofawomanistyranny;buttheruleofaman—womangrindsfine。Whereareyougoing?\"
\"Anywhere。\"
\"Whattodo?\"
\"See——seeeverything。\"
\"Youwillbedisappointed。\"
\"Andwereyou?\"
\"Yes;andyouwillbemoreso。Iwantthingsthatmenandtheworldgive,youdonot。Ifyouhaveafewyardsofearthtostandon,andabitofblueoveryou,andsomethingthatyoucannotseetodreamabout,youhaveallthatyouneed,allthatyouknowhowtouse。ButIliketoseerealmen。Letthembeasdisagreeableastheyplease,theyaremoreinterestingtomethanflowers,ortrees,orstars,oranyotherthingunderthesun。
Sometimes,\"sheadded,walkingon,andshakingthedustdaintilyfromherskirts,\"whenIamnottoobusytryingtofindanewwayofdoingmyhairthatwillshowmylittlenecktobetteradvantage,oroverotherworkofthatkind,sometimesitamusesmeintenselytotraceouttheresemblancebetweenonemanandanother:toseehowTantSannieandI,youandBonaparte,St。Simononhispillow,andtheemperordiningofflarks’
tongues,areoneandthesamecompound,merelymixedindifferentproportions。
\"Whatismicroscopicinoneislargelydevelopedinanother;whatisarudimentaryinonemanisanactiveorganinanother;butallthingsareinallmen,andonesoulisthemodelofall。Weshallfindnothingnewinhumannatureafterwehaveoncecarefullydissectedandanalyzedtheonebeingweevershalltrulyknow——ourself。TheKaffergirlthrewsomecoffeeonmyarminbedthismorning;Ifeltdispleased,butsaidnothing。TantSanniewouldhavethrownthesauceratherandswornforanhour;butthefeelingwouldbethesameirritateddispleasure。IfahugeanimatedstomachlikeBonapartewereputunderaglassbyaskilfulmentalmicroscopist,evenhewouldbefoundtohaveanembryonicdoublingsomewhereindicativeofaheart,andrudimentarybuddingsthatmighthavebecomeconscienceandsincerity。LetmetakeyourarmWaldo。
\"Howfullyouareofmealiedust。No,nevermind。Itwillbrushoff。Andsometimeswhatismoreamusingstillthantracingthelikenessbetweenmanandman,istotracetheanalogytherealwaysisbetweentheprogressanddevelopmentofoneindividualandofawholenation;or,again,betweenasinglenationandtheentirehumanrace。Itispleasantwhenitdawnsonyouthattheoneisjusttheotherwrittenoutinlargeletters;andveryoddtofindallthelittlefolliesandvirtues,anddevelopmentsandretrogressions,writtenoutinthebigworld’sbookthatyoufindinyourlittleinternalself。ItisthemostamusingthingIknowof;butofcourse,beingawoman,Ihavenotoftentimeforsuchamusements。
Professionaldutiesalwaysfirst,youknow。Ittakesagreatdealoftimeandthoughtalwaystolookperfectlyexquisite,evenforaprettywoman。
Istheoldbuggystillinexistence,Waldo?\"
\"Yes,buttheharnessisbroken。\"
\"Well,Iwishyouwouldmendit。Youmustteachmetodrive。ImustlearnsomethingwhileIamhere。IgottheHottentotgirltoshowmehowtomakesarsartiesthismorning;andTantSannieisgoingtoteachmetomakekapjes。Iwillcomeandsitwithyouthisafternoonwhileyoumendtheharness。\"
\"Thankyou。\"
\"No,don’tthankme;Icomeformyownpleasure。IneverfindanyoneI
cantalkto。Womenboreme,andmen,Italksoto——’Goingtotheballthisevening?Nicelittledogthatofyours。Prettylittleears。Sofondofpointerpups!’Andtheythinkmefascinating,charming!Menareliketheearth,andwearethemoon;weturnalwaysonesidetothem,andtheythinkthereisnoother,becausetheydon’tseeit——butthereis。\"
Theyhadreachedthehousenow。
\"Tellmewhenyousettowork,\"shesaid,andwalkedtowardthedoor。
Waldostoodtolookafterher,andDossstoodathisside,alookofpainfuluncertaintydepictedonhissmallcountenance,andonelittlefootpoisedintheair。Shouldhestaywithhismasterorgo?Helookedatthefigurewiththewidestrawhatmovingtowardthehouse,andhelookedupathismaster;thenheputdownthelittlepawandwent。Waldowatchedthembothinatthedoorandthenwalkedawayalone。Hewassatisfiedthatatleasthisdogwaswithher。
Chapter2。V。TantSannieHoldsAnUpsitting,andGregoryWritesALetter。
Itwasjustaftersunset,andLyndallhadnotyetreturnedfromherfirstdriving—lesson,whentheleancolouredwomanstandingatthecornerofthehousetoenjoytheeveningbreeze,sawcomingalongtheroadastrangehorseman。Verynarrowlyshesurveyedhim,asslowlyheapproached。Hewasattiredinthedeepestmourning,theblackcreperoundhistallhattotallyconcealingtheblackfelt,andnothingbutadazzlingshirt—frontrelievingthefunerealtoneofhisattire。Herodemuchforwardinhissaddle,withhischinrestingontheuppermostofhisshirt—studs,andtherewasanairofmeeksubjectiontothewillofHeaven,andtowhatmightbeinstoreforhim,thatbespokeitselfeveninthewayinwhichhegentlyurgedhissteed。Hewasevidentlyinnohurrytoreachhisdestination,forthenearerheapproachedtoittheslackerdidhisbridlehang。Thecolouredwomanhavingdulyinspectedhim,dashedintothedwelling。
\"Hereisanotherone!\"shecried——\"awidower;Iseeitbyhishat。\"
\"GoodLord!\"saidTantSannie;\"it’stheseventhI’vehadthismonth;butthemenknowwheresheepandgoodlooksandmoneyinthebankaretobefound,\"sheadded,winkingknowingly。\"Howdoeshelook?\"
\"Nineteen,weakeyes,whitehair,littleroundnose,\"saidthemaid。
\"Thenit’she!thenit’she!\"saidTantSannietriumphantly;\"littlePietVanderWalt,whosewifediedlastmonth——twofarms,twelvethousandsheep。
I’venotseenhim,butmysister—in—lawtoldmeabouthim,andIdreamedabouthimlastnight。\"
HerePiet’sblackhatappearedinthedoorway,andtheBoer—womandrewherselfupindignifiedsilence,extendedthetipsofherfingers,andmotionedsolemnlytoachair。Theyoungmanseatedhimself,stickinghisfeetasfarunderitastheywouldgo,andsaidmildly:
\"IamLittlePietVanderWalt,andmyfatherisBigPietVanderWalt。\"
TantSanniesaidsolemnly:\"Yes。\"
\"Aunt,\"saidtheyoungman,startingupspasmodically;\"canIoff—saddle?\"
\"Yes。\"
Heseizedhishat,anddisappearedwitharushthroughthedoor。
\"Itoldyouso!Iknewit!\"saidTantSannie。\"ThedearLorddoesn’tsenddreamsfornothing。Didn’tItellyouthismorningthatIdreamedofagreatbeastlikeasheep,withredeyes,andIkilledit?Wasn’tthewhitewoolhishair,andtheredeyeshisweakeyes,andmykillinghimmeantmarriage?Getsupperreadyquickly;thesheep’sinsideandroaster—cakes。
Weshallsituptonight。\"
ToyoungPietVanderWaltthatsupperwasaperiodofintensetorture。
TherewassomethingoverawinginthatassemblyofEnglishpeople,withtheirincomprehensiblespeech;andmoreover,itwashisfirstcourtship;
hisfirstwifehadcourtedhim,andtenmonthsofseveredomesticrulehadnotraisedhisspiritnorcourage。Heatelittle,andwhenheraisedamorseltohislipsglancedguiltilyroundtoseeifhewerenotobserved。
Hehadputthreeringsonhislittlefinger,withtheintentionofstickingitoutstifflywhenheraisedacoffee—cup;nowthelittlefingerwascurledmiserablyamongitsfellows。Itwassmallreliefwhenthemealwasover,andTantSannieandherepairedtothefrontroom。Onceseatedthere,hesethiskneesclosetogether,stoodhisblackhatuponthem,andwretchedlyturnedthebrimupanddown。ButsupperhadcheeredTantSannie,whofounditimpossiblelongertomaintainthatdecoroussilence,andwhoseheartyearnedovertheyouth。
\"IwasrelatedtoyourauntSelenawhodied,\"saidTantSannie。\"Mymother’sstepbrother’schildwasmarriedtoherfather’sbrother’sstepnephew’sniece。\"
\"Yes,aunt,\"saidtheyoungman,\"Iknowwewererelated。\"
\"Itwashercousin,\"saidTantSannie,nowfairlyontheflow,\"whohadthecancercutoutofherbreastbytheotherdoctor,whowasnottherightdoctortheysentfor,butwhodiditquiteaswell。\"
\"Yes,aunt,\"saidtheyoungman。
\"I’veheardaboutitoften,\"saidTantSannie。\"AndhewasthesonoftheolddoctorthattheysaydiedonChristmas—day,butIdon’tknowifthat’strue。Peopledotellsuchawfullies。WhyshouldhedieonChristmas—daymorethananyotherday?\"
\"Yes,aunt,why?\"saidtheyoungmanmeekly。
\"Didyoueverhavethetoothache?\"askedTantSannie。
\"No,aunt。\"
\"Well,theysaythatdoctor——notthesonoftheolddoctorthatdiedonChristmas—day,theotherthatdidn’tcomewhenhewassentfor——hegavesuchgoodstuffforthetoothachethatifyouopenedthebottleintheroomwhereanyonewasbadtheygotbetterdirectly。Youcouldseeitwasgoodstuff,\"saidTantSannie;\"ittastedhorrid。Thatwasarealdoctor!Heusedtogiveabottlesohigh,\"saidtheBoer—woman,raisingherhandafootfromthetable,\"youcoulddrinkatitforamonthanditwouldn’tgetdone,andthesamemedicinewasgoodforallsortsofsicknesses——croup,measles,jaundice,dropsy。Nowyouhavetobuyanewkindforeachsickness。Thedoctorsaren’tsogoodastheyusedtobe。\"
\"No,aunt,\"saidtheyoungman,whowastryingtogaincouragetostickouthislegsandclinkhisspurstogether。Hedidsoatlast。
TantSanniehadnoticedthespursbefore;butshethoughtitshowedanicemanlyspirit,andherheartwarmedyetmoretotheyouth。
\"Didyoueverhaveconvulsionswhenyouwereababy?\"askedTantSannie。
\"Yes,\"saidtheyoungman。
\"Strange,\"saidTantSannie;\"Ihadconvulsionstoo。Wonderfulthatweshouldbesomuchalike!\"
\"Aunt,\"saidtheyoungmanexplosively,\"canwesituptonight?\"
TantSanniehungherheadandhalfclosedhereyes;butfindingthatherlittlewileswerethrownaway,theyoungmanstaringfixedlyathishat,shesimpered,\"Yes,\"andwentawaytofetchcandles。
InthediningroomEmworkedathermachine,andGregorysatclosebesideher,hisgreatblueeyesturnedtothewindowwhereLyndallleanedouttalkingtoWaldo。
TantSannietooktwocandlesoutofthecupboardandheldthemuptriumphantly,winkingallroundtheroom。
\"He’saskedforthem,\"shesaid。
\"Doeshewantthemforhishorse’srubbedback?\"askedGregory,newtoup—
countrylife。
\"No,\"saidTantSannie,indignantly;\"we’regoingtositup!\"andshewalkedoffintriumphwiththecandles。
Nevertheless,whenalltherestofthehousehadretired,whenthelongcandlewaslighted,whenthecoffee—kettlewasfilled,whenshesatintheelbow—chair,withherloveronachairclosebesideher,andwhenthevigilofthenightwasfairlybegun,shebegantofinditwearisome。Theyoungmanlookedchilly,andsaidnothing。
\"Won’tyouputyourfeetonmystove?\"saidTantSannie。
\"Nothankyou,aunt,\"saidtheyoungman,andbothlapsedintosilence。
AtlastTantSannie,afraidofgoingtosleep,tappedastrongcupofcoffeeforherselfandhandedanothertoherlover。Thisvisiblyrevivedboth。
\"Howlongwereyoumarried,cousin?\"
\"Tenmonths,aunt。\"
\"Howoldwasyourbaby?\"
\"Threedayswhenitdied。\"
\"It’sveryhardwhenwemustgiveourhusbandsandwivestotheLord,\"saidTantSannie。