The Soldier's Wife — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

THE SOLDIERS WIFE. movable, smoking — ipe; and when at the}lously elean. It is true that on leaving the expiration of two or thre@eminutes he did relax] fields he had hastened to his abode to cleanse from his automaton position, it was merely tojawav the traces of his labor ere he set out lift the quart pot to hi lips and imbibe a long} again on his walk along the streamlet’s bank ; draught. é oy but at all times, and under all circumstances, “Well,” said the butcher, “if he tucks in|there was an air of cleanliness and respectability ateeks as well as he takes down beer he will be|about Frederick Lonsdale that seemed to invest a pretty good customer to me as long as he’s in|}him with a sort of superiority above his fellows the village. Perhaps he mayn’t be a bad chap| He was decidedly handsome ; and there was no- arter all ¢” thing coarse nor vulgar in his featuree por the ex- “ And if he eats steaks, he 1s sure to want] pression of hiscountenance. Browned it was with rolls,” said the baker, likewise having an eye to| the sun: but this contributed to the manly honesty business : “so 1 think I shall come up presently, |of look characterizing the individual who earned as usual, and take my four-penn’orth in the par-|his bread by his own toil. He had dark hair lor,” and eyes, good whiskers, and a set of teeth “ A man who wears the King’s uniform, must} which any aristocrat might have envied. When have a clean chin,” chimed in the barber; “and|he spoke, it was with no peculiar accent nor those fellows that are good at handling swords, | rustic drawl; and his language was marked by can’t wield razors. After all, it would be better |a singular accuracy for one in his position, There not to show him the cold shoulder just because | was a certain mystery attending his birth, of he is what he is. Peace and guod will. Them’s} which we shall have to speak presently: but my maxims. And perhaps he uses bear's-|there was no mystery as to the way which he grease,” added Mr. Bates, in an under-tone.—|had been brought up—for he had lived from his “Who knows ¢” infancy in the village, A widow, named Grant, Several others, who now saw that the arrival] had reared him, She kept a little shop which of the recruiting-sergeant might give a certain!could barely have supported herself: but from briskness to trade,—for with the presence of |some other source, not known to the villagers, guch au individual was associated the idea of |she had for a time received a little additional plenty of money to fling about,—likewise ex-|succor. She had therefore put the boy to the pressed themselves in favor of conciliatory po-|day-school of the village-pedagogue, who, taking licy ; and they accordingly dispersed with the/a liking to him on account of his intelligence agreement that they would come up to the/and docility, had thought it no trouble to bestow Royal Oak presently to form the acquaintance | unusual pains upon him. As Frederick Lons- of the important character who had just arrived | dale grew up, he greedily devoured all the books in the village. The carrier’s van proceeded on|that he could possibly obtain in the circumscribed its jogging way ; and the rumbling sounds of | world of that village : and thus had he materially its wheels soon died in the distance. Then all|}added to the store of knowledge derived from was still once more in the village of Oakleigh, | the schoolmaster’s slender stock. In this manner eave and except inside the barber’s shop, where |had he reached the age of eighteen, old Mrs. this functionary was holding forth to three or|Grant loving him as affectionately as if he were four of his neighbors who dropped in to hear his}her own son but still no future planus appeared opinion: for Mr. Bates was a perfect oracle at|/to be chalked out for the young man. The Oakleigh. schoolmaster had thought of taking him for an assistant: death however interfered with this arrangement—and the pedagogue was gathered to his fathers beneath the shade of the yew-trees in the churchyard. Soon afterwards a fire broke out in Mrs. Grant’s cottage one night, when Frederick Lonsdale was absent at Middle- ton on some commission for his aged benefactress, Wuite this scene had been passing in front|'he place was burnt to the ground, she herself of the village public-house, another of equal|perishing in the ruins ; for she was bed-ridden importance to the thread of our story, and of |at the time, and the habitation being of wood, somewhat more romantic interest, was taking|with a straw thatch, was consumed before the place at no great distance. For at the very |slightest assistance could be rendered her. Thus time that the earrier’s bell had begun to tinkle| whatever secret this woman might have cherish- in the ears of the worthy denizens of Oakleigh,|ed in respect to Frederick’s birth, appearec| to a young man ina laborer’s garb was wending|have died with her. and on his return to the his way along the bank of the little streamlet| village he found himself deprived of his only towards the wood through which it flowed. He|friend—homeless and penniless. As a matter was about two and-twenty years of age—tall,|of course he experienced sympathy and tempo- remaikably upright, and with nothing of the|rary assistance on the part of the kind-hearted rolling slouching gait thatgenerally characterizes | villagers ; but they were too poor to help him the peasant. ‘There was a certain elasticity |for any length of time; and his spirit was too visible in all his motions; and though his pace | was now slow, his manner dejected, and his|their kindness. He therefore at once resolved CHAPTER IL THE LOVERS, louks desponding, yet was that natural litheness|to*work for his own living, Another school-— of limb still apparent. Though his garb was of| master had succeeded his own deceased precept+ the humblest materials, and though he had just|}or ; and consequently there was no opening for come from his wok, yet was his person scrupu-| the exercise of Frederick’s talents in this sphe proud to permit him to remain a burthen upon — ey Y Gomicbooks.com | « 1 ke , * ‘ Ff a TR. , b| « 4