Gratia's Trials — page 71: what you’re looking at

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62 GRATIA’S TRIALS. Aleck White’s mother being in Europe, traveling with her “second husband, who was some eight or ten years younger than herself ; and Mrs. Moultrie wrote a long eight-page letter to the bereaved parent, in which she satisfactorily proved that her child had walked the path cf roses to his death, and sent ina prodi- gious bill for medical attendance, nursing, and posthumous ex- penses. | She was yet engaged in the preparation of this flowing piece of epistolary composition, when Gratia entered the room with ~ flushed cheek and sparkling eyes. ‘Mrs. Moultrie,” she said, ‘‘Mrs. Simmans is sending Georgie to bed in the dark room, without any supper, because he accidentally broke her spectacles.” Mrs. Moultrie looked up, abstractedly biting the handle of her elegant gold pen. | ‘Very careless of George,” she mildly observed. ‘* But he is such a little child, ma’am ; and he has had noth- ing to eat since noon. It is cruel.” ‘‘ Nurse Simmons is the best judge of that,” said Mrs. Moul- trie, with a ring of impatience in her tone. ‘*But, Mrs. Moultrie fj ‘‘T would prefer no further discussion of the subject,” said Mrs. Moultrie, in a voice as smooth as a flute, and harder than adamant. ‘‘I make it a rule never to interfere with Nurse Simmons’ discipline.” | ‘*But she is cruel—wicked—tyrannical !” cried Gratia. ‘I cannot bear to stand by and see her oppress those poor, helpless children.” Mrs. Moultrie opened a gilt-edged memorandum-book, bound in mother-of-pearl, ‘‘Let us see,” she said, sweetly ; ‘‘ you have been here three months next Tuesday. Well, we will stretch a point and call it three months. Here are your wages.” ‘‘Do you mean to dismiss me ?” ““T do,” | --comicbooks.co