The Blithedale Romance

at she said to myself was this:-"I have long wished to know you, Mr. Coverdale, and to thank you for your beautiful poetry, some of which I have learned by heart; or rather it has stolen into my

s an associate, than that the world

of pleasure. "I hope, on the contrary, now to produce something that shall really deserve to be called poetry - true, strong, natural, and sweet, as is the life whi

a, with a gracious smile. "If so, I am very sorry, for you will c

ered I, "that is what

between which and her gown there was one glimpse of a white shoulder. It struck me as a great piece of good fortune that there should be just that glimpse. Her hair, which was dark, glossy, and of singular abundance, was put up rather soberly and primly - without curls, or other ornament, except a single flower. It was an exotic of rare beauty, and as fresh as if the hothous

o fitly cased. She was, indeed, an admirable figure of a woman, just on the hither verge of her richest maturity, with a combination of features which it is safe to call remarkably beautiful, even if some fastidious persons might pronounce them a little deficient in softness and delicacy. But we find enough of those attributes everywhere. Preferabl

e part of hostess for to-day, and welcome you as if to my own fireside. You shall be my guests, too, at

ous parts assigne

part of the business, as a matter of course. To bake, to boil, to roast, to fry, to stew - to wash, and iron, and scrub, and sweep - and, at our idler intervals, to repose ourselves on knitting and sewing - these, I suppose, must be feminine

odd enough that the kind of labor which falls to the lot of women is just that which chiefly distinguishes artificial life - t

the window! Are there any figs ripe, do you think? Have the pineapples been gathered to-day? Would you like a bread-fruit, or a cocoanut? Shall I run out and pluck you some roses? No, no, Mr. Coverdal

a thought that passes between man and woman. I imputed it, at that time, to Zenobia's noble courage, conscious of no harm, and scorning the petty restraints which take the life and color out of other women's conversation. There was another peculiarity about her. We seldom meet with women nowadays, and in this country, who impress us as being women at all - their sex fades away and goes for nothing, in ordinary intercours

the other delicacies of Adam's supper-table, with tea and toast, and a certain modest supply of ham and tongue, which, with the inst

nd began to talk over our prospects. Soon, with a tremendous stamping in the entry, appeared Silas Foster, lank, stalwart, uncouth, and grizzly-bearded. He came from foddering the cattle in the barn, and from the field, where he had been ploughing, until the depth of the snow rendered it impossible to draw a

u'll be wishing yourselves back to

the fast-descending snow. The storm, in its evening aspect, was decidedly dreary. It seemed to have arisen for our especial behoof - a symbol of the cold, d

bject to be hopefully striven for, and probably attained, we who made that little semicircle round the blazing fire were those very men. We had left the rusty iron framework of society behind us; we had broken through many hindrances that are powerful enough to keep most people on the weary treadmill of the established system, even while they feel its irksomeness almost as intolerable as we did. We had stepped down from the pulpit; we had flung aside the pen; we had sh

by mutual aid, instead of wresting it by the strong hand from an enemy, or filching it craftily from those less shrewd than ourselves (if, indeed, there were any such in New England), or winning it by selfish competition with a neighbor; in one or another of which fashio

, and if all went to rack with the crumbling embers and have never since arisen out of the ashes, let us take to ourselves no shame. In my own behalf, I rejoice that I could once think better of t

much to some practical purpose. For instance:-"Which man among you," quoth he, "is the bes

ake any hand at market gardening," said Silas Foster, "unless the women folks will undertake to do all the weeding. We haven't team enough for that and the regular farm-work, reckoning t

eld of labor. But, to own the truth, I very soon became sensible that, as regarded society at large, we stood in a position of new hostility, rather than new brotherhood. Nor could this fail to be the case, in some degree, until the bigger

e), she flung it on the floor, as unconcernedly as a village girl would throw away a faded violet. The action seemed proper to her character, although, methought, it would still more have befitted the bounteous nature of this beautiful woman to scatter fresh flowers from her hand, and to revive faded ones by her touch. Nevertheless,

should be such a laggard. I should not have thought him at all the sort of person to

ingsworth persona

re deeply than I think myself capable of being moved, except by the stroke of a true, strong heart against my own. It is a sad pity that he should have devoted his glorious powers to such a grimy, unbeautiful, and posit

I answered; "ne

d been left out. At all events, as a mere matter of taste, I wish he would let the bad people alone, and try to benefit those who are not already past his

him with us, we must systematically commit at least on

could make out what it meant, we had entered the kitchen, where, in accord