The Amazing Marriage, v1

dwindled moon, a late riser, break through droves of hunted cloud, directly topping their ancient guardian height, the triple peak and giant of the range, friendlier in his name than

out of England reserved in speech; her mother's talk of England had been unhappy; her father had suffered ill-treatment there from a brutal institution termed the Admiralty, and had never regretted the not seeing England again. The thought that she was bound thitherward enfolded her like a frosty mist. But these bare walls, these loud floors, chill rooms, dull windows, and the vault-sounding of the ghostly house, everywhere the absence o

ected in the headlong sale of the furniture; and when she rose, unable to continue motionless while the hosts of illum

othing further to talk of, nothing for her to do save to sit and look, and deaden her throbs by counting them. She soon returned to her seat beside her brother, with the marvel in her breast that the house she desired so much to love should be cold and repel her now it was a vacant

ale, and branched from the dome of the sky in migratory broken lines, like wild birds shifting the order of flight, north and east, where the dawn sat in a web, but as yet had done no more than shoot

we run out and c

house and 'call the morning.' Her brother was glad of the challenge, and upon one of the yawns following a sleepless nig

considerately, the ring of it was left on his finger, and the end of candle rolled out of

e it before, Carin. Better than groping dow

ht at her skirts by instinct to

mp, besides the how of many other practical things. She leaped as lightly as her brother, never touching earth with her hands;

t is equal to a wea

g his hand on her shoulder for a sig

course, between rocks, to another meadow, level with the house, that led ascending through a firwood; and there the change to thicker darkness told them light was abr

g of father,' Carinthia

il

s arm. 'We will. We will

nd dwarf growth and grass austerely, not deepening or confusing them. They wound their way by borders of crag, seeing in a dell below the mouth of the idle mine begirt with weedy and shrub-hung rock, a dripping semi- circle. Farther up they came on the flat juniper and crossed a wet ground-thicket of whortleberry: their feet were in the moist moss amo

d Carinthia, shuddering at a

loom, unfeatured and bloomless. Another minute and they had flung off their mail, and changed to various, indented, intricate, succinct in ridge, scar and channel; and they had all a look of watchfulness that made them one company. The smell of rock-waters and

hillon,' she said, touching him gen

nd in a moment each stray cloud-feather was edged with rose, and then suffused. It seemed that the heights fronted East to eye the interfl

stling, and that, when it has refreshed us, conjuring imagination to embrace the splendour and wonder. But the wrench of an immediate division from what we love makes the things within us reach th

w a little cascade near the house, showering on

would soon have the mists rising, and m

heights were cut with them, and bounding waters took the leap in a silvery radiance to gloom; the bright and dark- banded valleys were like night and morning taking hand

I marry I shall come

thinking of the character of her charms and the attraction they would present to the world of men. They were expressive enough; at times he had thought them marvellous in

wife who decides whe

ith the dream of a husband. '

Mariandl is bound to go to-day to her new place, and who's

k?' she aske

ccomplishments are of a different sort. No, it's bette

akfast. Only, let us walk it. I know the whole way, and it is not more than a two days' walk for you an

money; we are not rich

ng. 'You have good Styrian boots, I see. But I want to b

g they will wait for us. And we can be t

Well, we'll send on my portmanteau and your boxes in the cart; we'll walk it. You're a capital walker, you're a gallant comrade; I wouldn't w

lly?' for the sweetest on earth to

ut enough bread and butter, some honey left, and plenty of coffee. I should like to have left old Mariandl more, but we are unable to do very much for poor

et', about not going to bed last nig

nything that robs me of

doses of sleep if you

ead sleep is good. Then you are in the hands of God. Fat

for a lord,' added

lty,' she appealed to

her, dreaming is

your strength,' said he. 'I suppose

ver think t

et what we want,

not waste ours

ason why we should reject the consolation whe

not be

the imp

r you,

'pursuing a dialogue within himself aloud rather th

beating. Who was this pe

ived a novel softness in him that would have answered. Pain of an unknown kind made

of the windows, and some wide open, some showing unclean glass: the thr

g the busy population of the mine, coming down on them with wild wavings and shouts of sunrise. They felt the death again

lready breathing rich and sweet in the sun. The half-moon fell rayless and paler than the fan of fleeces pushed up Westward, high overhead, themselves

f naked purple crocuses in bud and blow abounding over the meadow t