Cradock Nowell, Vol. 2 (of 3)

Forest than the Hall, or even the Rectory. Just in the scoop of a sunny valley, high enough to despise the wa

uardian oaks had wrestled a bout or two with the tempests. In the cyclone on the morning of November 29th, 1836, and again on the 7th of January, 1842, they had gripped the ground, and set hard their knees, and groaned at the thought of salt water. Since then the wind had been less of a lunatic (although there had been some ruffianly work in 1854), and they hoped there was a good time coming, and so spread the

thren up the hill as jolly fellows, happy dogs, born with a silver spoon in their mouths, good for another thousand years, although they might be five hundred old; unless, indeed-and here all the trees shuddered-the

e in at his bedroom window when the moon was high. Wandering shapes of wavering shadow, with the flickering light between them, walking slowly as

the want of it-laboured hard, and early, and late, if so he might come home at night (only not in the dark), come home at night thoroughly weary. His energy was amazing. No man anywhere felling wood-Mr. Garnet?s especial luxury-no man hedging and ditching, or frithing, or stubbing up fern and brambles, but had better look out what he had in his bag, or

would not see even the doctor. Our Amy, who pleaded hard to see her, because she was sure she could do her good, received a stern sharp negative, and would have gone away offended, only she was so sorry for her. Not that any fervid friendship, such as young ladies exult in for almost a fortnight incessant, not that any rapturous love exclusive of all

ed God? He was gone to make his way in the world, and her only fear was lest he should make it too grand for Amy to share in. She liked the school–children so, and the pony, and to run out now and then to the kitchen, and dip a bit of crust in the dripping–pan; and she liked to fill he

ld plead for them. Every morning as the steward came out, frowned and shook his fist at them, the being whom he loved most on earth-far beyond himsel

by negatives. In every main point, except two, he was his father?s cardinal opposite. Those two were generosity (which combines the love of truth

spent, if he had the chance, among the ferns and mosses, the desmidi? of the forest pools, the sun–dew and the fungi, the buff–tips and red underwings, privet–hawks, and emperors. He knew all the children of the spring and handmaids of the summer, all of autumn?s laden train and

odness, which, like the rest of his energies, transcended the force of other men?s, centred and spent itself mainly there. But of late Bob had passed all his time with his mother-I mean, of course, with Nature; for his mother in the flesh

get lung–and–tongue food. Thereupon a stern ukase was issued that the next boy caught up there would be expelled without trial, as the corrupter of that pure flock. The other boys laughed, I am sorry to say, when "Bob, the natural," as they called him, meaning thereby the naturalist, was the first to be discovered there, crawling upon a branch as cleverly as a looper caterpillar. Even then the capital sentence was commuted that time, for every master knew, as well as every boy, that Bob could never "say bo" to anything of the feminine gender capable of articulating. So Bob had to learn the fourth Georgic by heart, and did most of it (with extreme enjoyment) up in that very same t

I see you! Your name t

t. And if you please, s

very instant; or else

e shall see by–and–by, he was no coward in an emergency. "If you please, sir, n

, Garnet: it?s the last t

y to keep you waiting, sir. But they are such

ef, and descended very cleverly, holding it with his teeth. The next

e roots of it. He could not think why his father left him so very much to himself now, and had ceased from those little caresses and fondlings, which used to make Bob look quite ashamed sometimes in the presence of strangers. He felt that his father loved him quite as much as ever, and he had found those strong eyes set upon him with an expression, as it appeared to him, of sorrow and compassion. He had a great mind to ask what the matter was; but his love for his father was a strange feeling, mixed with some dread and uncertainty. He would make Pearl tell him all about it, that would be the best way; for she as well had been carrying on very oddly of late. She sat in her own room all day long, and would never come down to dinner, and would neve

t was, greatly preferring life to death, and thoroughly aware that man is the latter?s chief agent. Once Bob made quite sure of it, for it had settled on a blackberry–spray, and smack the net came down upon it, but a smack too hard, for the thorns came grinning out at the bottom, and away went the butterfly laughing. Bob made good the net in a moment with some very fine pins that he carried, and off again in still hotter pursuit, h

d shielded from bruises. She would have been frightened terribly, only she knew what was going on, and had stepped behind the tree to avoid the appearance of interfering. For she did not wish-sh

is net, and fell back against the beech–tree. Then Amy laughed, and took off the net

you are

ar me, have you seen h

my Aunt Eudoxia? She is o

en of Spain fritillary! Oh, tell me which

me!"]-"I am very much afraid you must make up your mind to annihilation, if by the 'Queen

s nothing, I assure you. I would go through

he time upon the ring of the old one, the crown of his hat come to look for his hea

ow could you expect me to see throu

ure-I beg your pardon a thousand times; really

if I knew where she was gone I would not tell you, because I c

l thing for him to do. Then it occurred to his mind, for the first time possibly, what a beautiful creature she was, more softly shaded

the thorax, and sometimes can never get right again. After having said "oh," with emphasis and so much di?resis, Bob did not feel called upon for any further utterance till Amy was gone to her Aunt Eudoxia; and then he contrived to say, "Ah!" H

m her own mother–milk, but most of them from man?s muzzling. Of the latter she had not much fear with Bob; but the former, she knew, were beyond her, and she had none but herself to thank for them. She knew that the lad, so strongly imbued with her ow

d forgetting all about butterflies, Miss Eudoxia,

such a time, Robert." And she held out her hand, which Bob took with very little sens

Robert. You school–boys live upon suc

the chafing of many a lining. This she opened with much ado, poured three crinkled sugar–plums on her gloved pal

dew; no, thank you. I am

thought that he was overcome with it. So her smile became

the night and suck them. How nice that will be, to be sure! You see I know what boys are.

for them, only that Amy was there; "you will believe me when I assure yo

dropped the sugar–plums. But Amy, instead of

se. Some of the men at the night–sch

f every brown arcade, in the jumbled gleam of the underwood, in the alleys between the upstanding trees, even in the strong light where the golden patches shone, and the wood fell back to look at them, in all of these he seemed to see and then to lose his angel. Her face he could not see clearly yet, hard as he strove to do

r could feel it so, that his love was a thorough wild–goose chase-

er sitting for hours of wandering, "will yo

t, starting; "a gun, Bob!

way to stuff birds, and there are some rare ones

as I am alive, you ne

father? I know very well how

if you love me, nev