Marlitt_Little_Moorland_Princess.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
darling whom loved so sacredly to my heart only to
thrust nor from me for the sake of that hateful, painted
sin ?"
freed myself from embrace.
44 at me " cited, fctov^vY^ wk \Ktast* *
. 403
half laughing, half crying, " beside am
the most puny ' nothing/ as always calls me
saw my aunt at your feet, begging for forgiveness,,
oh, in such melting tones 1 knew that you had
loved that beautiful woman dearly, so dearly "
face flushed crimson. had never seen him blush
bo deeply.
44 know that 's tongue did mischief,"
he said. " accuses herself of having been the cause
of your flight in that she, oddly enough, expressed a fear
lest should fall beneath the spell. little one, do
not mean to say one word to you of that time that was
followed by years of remorse. those innocent,
childlike eyes, they are my pride, my life. went wildly
astray then : it was my own fault. mistook the fire of
passion for that pure, starry gleam that your coming,
my darling, first shed upon my life. error of my
youth bore bitter fruit. have suffered for it until now,
but now it is atoned. demand my right !"
kissed me, then wrapped his cloak about me.
44 will find much changed when we reach home, my
child," he said, in a low voice, after a pause. "
ground floor of the cottage is empty, the bird of
passage has flown southward again "
" she was poor, what will she do ?" asked,
anxiously.
44 is provided for. is your aunt, "
44 ?"
44 has had a terrible lesson ; but was not mis-
taken in her : the girl has noble traits. first she was
physically and mentally crushed, but she has made great
efforts, and the true pride and dignity of her nature are
beginning to show themselves. takes shame to her-
self for her career at school ; in spite of her rare talents,
she learned but little, because she \m^\\x^^t^i\tf^
404 .
to a station in life in which she would not need to labour.
is going to enter another establishment to be trained
for a governess. did not oppose her desire to do so ;
for intellectual activity is her best means of cure, of course
the house will always be her home.
wishes to leave the army and go to . hopes
entertained by the brother and sister, and their conse-
quent disappointment, have got abroad in the town, who
was the first to tell of them, no one knows, and -
bert's position would not be a very enviable one ; there-
fore he wishes to go. few hours before left to come
hither, paid a visit to the "
hid my face on his breast. " comes my sen-
tence " whispered.
" , yes, now know everything !" he declared, with
feigned severity. " little moorland thrust
her little impertinent nose into the mystery of the -
linenlust on the first day of her arrival there, and then
bravely helped on the intrigue against the unfortunate
man in the other house "
" he does not forgive me "
smiled down at me. " not, how could he have
kissed those red lips that kept such heroic silence ?"
left the shelter of the mound, the wind attacked
us. " , wert thou in the cauld blast" sang out clearly
amid its roar. had all come true : walked beside him
clasped by his strong arm, while his left held together
the cloak that he had thrown around me. wind swept
past me with spring in its breath, and seemed to cry,
" bound, fast bound 1" laughed aloud and
nestled closer to my guide. the wind and the bees
and the butterflies rove over the moor at will, would
rove with them no longer
lise was sitting mttifc^WX^Vve^ potatoes, and
wan coming witb lighted ^Vp* from * wutosv&^^^t
. 405
we entered the door. had never seen my faithful nurse
in such consternation as when unfolded
his cloak and laughed out at her. knife fell from
her hands into her lap. " " she cried,
transfixed. that name instantly took the pipe
from his mouth and held it behind him.
"-evening, !" said .
" have harboured a little deserter here, and am
come to carry her home, she is mine "
light broke in upon " ." sprang up, i
knife, potatoes, all fell upon the stones at her feet. " -
cious goodness ! was that what ailed her ?" clasped
her hands. " -tea was not at all what she needed.
have befooled me finely, , gracious good-
ness ! do you want to marry that child,
?" turned hotly upon him, while tears
of emotion were rolling down her cheeks. " at her
little hands and her childlike face, and her young, young
eyes "
blushed like a girl. " she loves
me, my little ," he said, gently, with some hesi-
tation ; " she says she loves me, ' old as the hills' though
be."
nestled close at his side.
"'s not what mean, ,
forbid!" protested, apologetically. " should like
to see the girl in her place who would not say 'yes' and
'amen' on the spot but all your people who
obey your orders, how can they respect such a little
wife whom you can carry about the house on your
arm ?"
laughed. " will respect her soon enough
when they see their master obey ' the little wife.'
now, , bestir yourself; we leave here to-morrow
morning, and you must go wvtti vx^
406 .
passed her apron hastily over her eyes. ''
what is to become of the in the mean time,
? you only knew how found it when
came back before 1" she said, with a decidedly sharp in-
tonation.
scratched his ear, and looked in some confusion
at his severe sister. ran up to him and put my
arm in his. " , you wicked , aren't you going
to wish me well ?"
14 , yes, little , but 'm sorry, too ; out there
there is no moor any more !"
began the foregoing two years after my marriage.
cradle stood beside my writing-table, and a tiny
creature lay within it, my lovely, fair first-born. began
to write this for hiin. since then a splendid fellow,
with brown curls and a lusty pair of lungs, has lain on
these rose-curtained pillows ; and now the place is occu-
pied by my little , the only daughter of the
dius house. have been married seven years. am
sitting in 's former room. dark curtains
have vanished ; it is bright and sunny here ; bunches of
roses, painted, woven, and embroidered, cover the carpet,
walls, and furniture ; the windowed recesses are actual
banks of flowers. is asleep, her cheek resting on
her chubby hand ; it is so quiet that can hear the flies
buzzing outside the window ; and now for the conclusion !
the door is thrown open ; they come rushing
in, the two hopes of the race.
" , mamma, you write too much," cries the fair
haired boy, reproachfully. " are to have tea in the
garden. liednei \& \3aa *xtour now, and we
went for grand papa."
. 407
look in his face with a delight that is not unmingled
with fear, he grows tall and strong but, oh, dear, what
will become of my authority when he grows taller than
his little mother? dark-haired darling stands on
tiptoe, and lays a piece of rope as thick as my finger, and
a slender willow twig, directly across my manuscript, and
begs, in his lovely, childish voice, " make me a
whip, mamma "
" down and wait for me in the garden," say, while
my fingers are busy in an attempt to produce a whip from
such unpromising materials. " want to write a little
about ."
" little , too ?" assent, and they both run
down-stairs again.
day after my return from the moor, left
the house to enter a normal school, and shortly
afterwards young went to . had
asked to be his wife, and h#d been rejected
confessed, in a letter to me, that as she had once
treated him so arrogantly, she could not in her humilia-
tion yield to her love for him. did not allow her, when
her studies were completed, to go among strangers, at
our entreaty she returned to the house, where
she was a fondly-loved aunt to our children. s
name never passed her lips, although she was on terms
of great intimacy, as are we all, with his brother's family.
came the war of '66. was severely
wounded at . hour after his brother, in great
agitation, had brought us the news of his misfortune,
entered my room in a travelling-dress. " am
going as a of , . it all to my
uncle. cannot do otherwise."
was away from home. dismissed her with a
blessing. weeks afterward received a long, happy
letter from her, signed " *" *\W ^uk$i
408 .
lain of the regiment had united the convalescent and his
faithful nurse. are now living in
has a high position in the firm of & .,
and since little opened his large eyes upon the world,
cannot understand how there should be such
wretched divisions of rank in a world where all are born
equal.
now hear the study-door close, and a firm step
upon the stair. write on and pretend that do not
hear him coming, the husband who spoils me beyond all
telling. can do but laugh when he puts his arm
around me and says, looking over my head apologetically
at my father, " is the oldest and most thoughtless of
my children?" father assents with his absent smile,
he is still very absent-minded, my dear father, but we
cherish him fondly, and his last work has been received
with enthusiasm by the scientific world. his
grandchildren have had something to do with it, they
are admitted at all times to the restored library, and climb
into his lap while he is writing. relations with the
court are pleasanter than ever, and the often
comes to the house ; but a curtain hangs before
's portrait, and the door behind the wardrobe in
the has been walled up.
step upon the stair has softly entered, its owner
is bending over the cradle, looking at his little sleeping
daughter.
" child is wonderfully like you, ."
spring up proudly, for he says it with a delighted
look. with pen and paper! they are powerless to
paint the sunshine of happiness that rests upon the life
of the " ."