The Arm Chair Library No. 79: The Haunted Homestead — page 51: what you’re looking at

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

— THE MOORHOUSE TRAGEDY 157 SES aa I turned to the pale and trembling woman — —_ — | nis Northern friend, and s» eome up with it to who with clasped hands and streaming eyes the nursery to tell me. stood anxiously regarding me. “This was my mother’s room, Esther,” said I, calmly. ‘Now sit down here, and tell me ber story. ” () “Not now!oh, not now! You are half- crazed already,and if you should hear 7 ae ‘‘Nay, Esther, but I wi// hear it—here, and now, | You have but to obey, and are not re- sponsible for the Consequences. Sit down, I AY and tell me my mother’s mery- . erhaps my eyes and voice had something maniacal about them. At any rate, my nurse made no farther resistance to my will, but, seating herself tremblingly on the edge of the bedstead, began at once. “T nursed her at my breast, Miss Rosalind, for her mother died when she was born, and her father trusted meas the wife of a faithful servant who had come with him from En- ees He cared for her, bat never loved her. t first he looked on her asthe cause of her mother’s death, and later on he saw that she feared and avoided him. ‘T used to try to teach her better, but she was ever ashy and timid child, and never could bring herself to show the freedom and confidence with her father that he loved so much in Se Remember, Miss Rosalind, whatever I may tell you, remember that your i sc always loved and was kind to ‘: Ye, yes, goon!” Im ruured,impatiently. We tra a good deal, and lived a wh *e &t the grand house in Richmond, where you have always lived, but after a while your prandfather, who mostly hated everybody re the world altogether and caine to this old be that his father hal built at great cost all the finishings anid ornamental Work from England. But your randfather never liked the-place, and bis English wife hever came to it at all. Now, however, 1t suited him better than a more cheerful home, and he told Andrew (my bushand, I mean, *) the first morning after he came, that Would end his days here. It seemed dull enough to us servants, for We didn’t half fill the house, and _ there never Was any company. But little Miss Adelais hever found any place dull or gloomy, but Would sit whole hours dreaming, and whisper- ‘ng to herself, not caring for otner company. At last, she grew a great girl, and alter ey thought [ ventured to remind my muster his daughter was growing to be a woman condi itany of the knowledge befitting her tion, “for, although I would gladly have nght her, I was sadly ignorant myself. . Colonel Howard looked at me gloomily for moment, and then asked his daughter’s aze. ‘old him she wasfifteen. He waved his hand ane, ‘That will do, Esther,’ and | was glad ve the room. next day your grandfather wrote toa his at the North, and [ suppose aske 1 send him a teacher for bis hin ; i aaa CC LLL A LLL LL LL LD LLL LLL AAA AL LLL LLL LL CL ELL LL A LL LC SL oo- ‘+6 é That stupid fellow has sent me a hobble- de-hoy from college to teach the child, instead of a girl as I expected, but I don't know that it won’tauswer as well, unless, indeed, the little coward is afraid of him, as she is of me, You must talk to her, Esther, and tell her she is not to run aw.y and hide when hespeaks to her, but tryz to learn her a-b-abs like a good child, that is if the boy knows enough to teach them to her.’ ‘ He Jaughed in his scornful way, and went out leaving me to repeat what he had said to my pet when she came in from her walk. ‘ The next day my master again appeared in the nursery, now to be the schoolroom, and this time he was accompanied by Mr, Gray, the new tutor. ‘¢ He was a handsome and a kind-spoken young gentleman, but he had not the spirit and temper that I love to see in a map. He would blush or turn pale when the colonel made bis rough remarks, as he often did, just to try him, it seemed to me; and if the youn man had made so.ne answet back, or Been that he was augry, he would have bad an easier time of it, for my master loved courage better than anything, except his own old fami- ly. Soaftera while Mr. Gray got to_avoid- ing his employer allthat he could, and often whole days would pass without their meeting, for my master, who was buried in his books, would have his meals brought to him in the library, and pass bis evenmgs there, and 1 promise you Mr, Gra interrupting him.” The old women sigh, and I, who moaned impatiently,— ‘Goon! goon!” ‘‘ Never mind the rest to-night, my pet,” leade 1 Esther, coming toward me and put “ [tisasad, sad tale, used with a melancholy snew what was to come, p: ting her arms about me, and night is shutting Pag ’ rr Za aac tgoon!” reiterated [, pushing the dear old woman from ine, and resuming her seat, she continued softly: ‘é The colonel did not like Mr, Gray, but Miss Adelais liked no one better. They were always together at their lessons, or poring over books of poetry and stories. Then, when the warm weather came, he must teach ber about flowers, and then about rocks, and they must be off to the woods for specimens, as they called them; or they would set out for a ride on horseback, and be gone hours and hours. ‘< Tdid not somehow like all this, especially when [found that my darling was growing shy of her old nurse, and would look righten- ad and steal away when [ tried to talk with her about being more at home, Still I did not like tos ak out, for she had always geermed so much of a child, and so ignorant of evil, that Idre wed jest [ might open her eyes to feelings that perhaps she had never sus- “ted. Sometimes lL wished my master could now my — . eoqt never: bave thought of spea ing to him unk sure et ‘hat I on) y suspected, for your grand r was a fearful thing to see. Laat laste one day, Mise Adelais came to 09 y was none too fond of © OmicDOOKS.cCOmM