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Article THE PURITAN'S SISTER. ← Page 2 of 13 →
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The Puritan's Sister.
hawk ! " exclaimed William , as a stately heron rose from the bank of the stream which gives its name to the village , and directed its flight over the woods towards Charlton— " had Jesse been upon my wrist we might have had rare sport . " Even this allusion to his brother ' s once favourite amusement , failed to rouse him : from , the deep abstraction in Which during their walk he had been plunged .. " Has the fiend
possessed him ? " thought William : " he is not usually so silent , at least , with me . —Or is there some enterprise in hand ? I will be satisfied , or know -wh y it is witheld—it must he by direct question , though—Richard was always my master at -bush fighting . " The elder brother was steadily pursuing Ms path towards the city with the same equal step , when the word " halt ! " pronounced in a military tone of command , arrested his
attention : Ms hand instinctively flew to the hilt of Ms weapon , nor did he relax Ms grasp till , after casting Ms keen eye around , he perceived ' his brother laugMng ; a few paces beMnd him , and knew the word had proceeded from Mm , his closely knit brow and look of defiance unbent ; with a good humoured smile he held out his hand , and waited till William reached the spot to take it . " So , " exclaimed the young man , still
enjoying the success of Ms strategem , " at last you are aware of my presence . I don ' t know what company you may be for a lady ' s bower ,, but for a heath you are the dullest I ever encountered . "
" Forgive me , William , my thoughts have indeed wandered on many things distinct from our present visit to Edward Marston and his sister —but what woidd you ? Have you been studying a compliment for Grace , and wish me to praise it ? or do you want my opinion on a glove —a fan—or the colour of a ribbon ?—at the brightest it must be dove , or silver grey , if you wish the little puritan to accept it . "
" Pshaw ! brother , " replied William , slightly colouring , " I think not of such trifles , 'tis a more close conceit—I have a riddle for you . " " A riddle ! I am no CEdipus to solve your puzzle . " " Nor am I , Richard , a sphinx , to propose impossibilities , or tear you in pieces if you fail . Attend!—what is a man tMnking of when Ms brow it knit , his senses absorbed , and he mutters to Mmself ; when
nature cannot touch his soul , or pleasure raise one smile—when he walks doggedly , and wears a mask even with his hrother ? " ' " Mischief—danger , or revenge , I should guess , William . " " Right brother / and I am ready for all these ; so trust me , and use me , for you have solved my riddle , " " Then it is without having betrayed my own ; for neither revenge
danger , or miscMef , separately occupied rny mind , although I am free to confess to you that my ideas partook of their united complexion .. But come , " continued Richard , perceiving that his brother was mortified at Ms apparent want of confidence " a short conversation will admit
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Puritan's Sister.
hawk ! " exclaimed William , as a stately heron rose from the bank of the stream which gives its name to the village , and directed its flight over the woods towards Charlton— " had Jesse been upon my wrist we might have had rare sport . " Even this allusion to his brother ' s once favourite amusement , failed to rouse him : from , the deep abstraction in Which during their walk he had been plunged .. " Has the fiend
possessed him ? " thought William : " he is not usually so silent , at least , with me . —Or is there some enterprise in hand ? I will be satisfied , or know -wh y it is witheld—it must he by direct question , though—Richard was always my master at -bush fighting . " The elder brother was steadily pursuing Ms path towards the city with the same equal step , when the word " halt ! " pronounced in a military tone of command , arrested his
attention : Ms hand instinctively flew to the hilt of Ms weapon , nor did he relax Ms grasp till , after casting Ms keen eye around , he perceived ' his brother laugMng ; a few paces beMnd him , and knew the word had proceeded from Mm , his closely knit brow and look of defiance unbent ; with a good humoured smile he held out his hand , and waited till William reached the spot to take it . " So , " exclaimed the young man , still
enjoying the success of Ms strategem , " at last you are aware of my presence . I don ' t know what company you may be for a lady ' s bower ,, but for a heath you are the dullest I ever encountered . "
" Forgive me , William , my thoughts have indeed wandered on many things distinct from our present visit to Edward Marston and his sister —but what woidd you ? Have you been studying a compliment for Grace , and wish me to praise it ? or do you want my opinion on a glove —a fan—or the colour of a ribbon ?—at the brightest it must be dove , or silver grey , if you wish the little puritan to accept it . "
" Pshaw ! brother , " replied William , slightly colouring , " I think not of such trifles , 'tis a more close conceit—I have a riddle for you . " " A riddle ! I am no CEdipus to solve your puzzle . " " Nor am I , Richard , a sphinx , to propose impossibilities , or tear you in pieces if you fail . Attend!—what is a man tMnking of when Ms brow it knit , his senses absorbed , and he mutters to Mmself ; when
nature cannot touch his soul , or pleasure raise one smile—when he walks doggedly , and wears a mask even with his hrother ? " ' " Mischief—danger , or revenge , I should guess , William . " " Right brother / and I am ready for all these ; so trust me , and use me , for you have solved my riddle , " " Then it is without having betrayed my own ; for neither revenge
danger , or miscMef , separately occupied rny mind , although I am free to confess to you that my ideas partook of their united complexion .. But come , " continued Richard , perceiving that his brother was mortified at Ms apparent want of confidence " a short conversation will admit