It was
not too late, and, after a scarcely-perceptible pause, she made answer:
"It was in your dear papa's _answer_ to my invitation, my love. Oh! so
shocked I was dear little Sophie couldn't come--lay awake _all_ that
night with a headache--yes, _indeed_!--when he _wrote_ to me, you
know--such a dear, noble letter it _was_, too! Oh! I read it over a
dozen--_twenty_ times at least!--he mentioned this new pupil of
his--seemed interested in him--of course I _can't_ help being interested
in whatever interests any of you dear ones, you know--he mentioned his
strange name and all--it _is_ a strange name, isn't it, love?"
"It isn't his real name," interposed Cornelia; "nobody except papa knows
who he is. It's just like one of those ancient names, you know--the
Christian name and the surname in one."
"Oh, yes, I see--so odd, isn't it?--such a _mystery_, and all
that--yes--so that's how I came to speak of him, I suppose. One gets
_ideas_ of a person that way sometimes, don't you know, though they may
never have actually _seen_ them at all? Oh! when I was a _young_ thing,
I was just full of those--_ideals, I_ used to call them--oh, you know
all about it, I _dare_ say!"
"He met with a very serious accident just before I came away," said
Cornelia to the ear-trumpet; "he stopped Dolly--our horse--she was
running away with papa in the wagon.
Pages:
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194