He has been here, off and on,
all these years. I heard tell of him, often and often, when I had been
down into Sidmouth, but never dreamt as it was him. He went about the
country with a box on wheels with glasses--a peep show as they calls
it."
The squire winced.
"He is well spoken of, squire," John said, "and I am bound to say as he
doesn't seem the sort of man we took him for, at all, not by no means.
He did not know you wanted to have her, but he thought it his duty to
give her the chance, and so he put her with Mrs. Walsham, and never
told her, till yesterday, who she was. Mrs. Walsham was quite grieved
at parting with her, for she says she is wonderfully quick at her
lessons, and has been like a daughter with her, for the last two
years."
The child had sat quietly down in a chair, and was looking into the
fire while the two men were speaking. She had done what she was told to
do, and was waiting quietly for what was to come next. Her quick ear,
however, caught, in the tones of John Petersham, an apologetic tone
when speaking of her grandfather, and she was moved to instant anger.
"Why do you speak like that of my grampa?" she said, rising to her
feet, and standing indignantly before him. "He is the best man in the
world, and the kindest and the nicest, and if you don't like him, I can
go away to him again.
Pages:
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100