Gratia's Trials — page 120: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

GRATIA’S TRIALS. eoua St too. ‘Please, father,’ say he, ‘let Mrs. Playfair come and take care of me; I won’t trouble you long.’ ‘*1T declare, ‘twas enough to melt a heart o’ stone, and mine ain't made o no such materials, whatever Mrs. Almira Kemp- field’s may be. I tell you, she looked black as a thunder-cloud at me, and had plenty to say about meddlers and that sort of thing, but I wasn’t goin’ to mind it—not I. Id a-writ to you if I'd knowed where on earth to direct, for Raymond kept talkin’ about you the whole time. But you hadn't left no clew, and he stood out you'd be here before Christmas, I ain’t no spiritualist,” added the good lady, blowing her nose violently, ‘‘but I do believe his dead mother told him things we didn’t know. And your father, he wouldn’t take no means to hunt youup. ‘Shes made her bed,’ says he, with that Almira at his elbow, ‘now let her lay on it.’ And he swears he'll never speak to you again.” ‘¢T shall not ask him to,” said Gratia, quietly. ‘‘I shall — I? take Raymond away with me as soon as ‘¢Hush, hush, child,” said Mrs. Playfair, ‘‘and leave the Lord’s doin’s in His own hands, Raymond ‘ll never be took away from here till they take him in his coffin, dear little lamb, with his pretty hands folded on his breast. There—hes a-wakin’ up!” | ‘I’ve been dreaming, Mrs. Playfair,” said he, gazing wistfully through the growing dusk. ‘‘I dreamed Gratia was back here. It’s most Christmas now, ain’t it?” “Tam here, darling !” Gratia stepped forward and folded the little, frail form in her arms. ‘‘Oh, Raymond, Raymond! Why did I ever leave you !” ‘“‘T knew you would come,” softly reiterated the child. “‘I wanted you so much when my head ached, to hold me against your shoulder and sing to me, as you used to sing Sunday evenings. Don’t you remember, Gratia? There—so/” and im (Cop alkel oxove) <Sarevo)