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THE CHIMES. 127 |
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" I do so. Do I not ?" she answered : smiling on her.
"Now you do," said Lilian, "but not usually. When you think I'm busy, and don't see you, you look so anxious and so doubtful, that I hardly like to raise my eyes. There is little cause for smiling in this hard and toilsome life, but you were once so cheerful."
" Am I not now!" cried Meg, speaking in a tone of strange alarm, and rising to embrace her. "DoImake our weary life more weary to you, Lilian ! "
"You have been the only thing that made it life," said Lilian, fervently kissing her; " sometimes the only thing that made me care to live so, Meg. Such work, such work ! So many hours, so many days, so many long, long nights of hopeless, cheerless, never-ending work—not to heap up riches, not to live grandly or gaily, not to live upon enough, however coarse; but to earn bare bread; to scrape together ; list enough to toil upon, and wrant upon, and keep alive in us the consciousness of our hard fate! Oh Meg, Meg!" she raised her voice, and twined her arms about her as she spoke, like one in pain. " How can the cruel world go round, and bear to look upon such lives !"
" Lilly!" said Meg, soothing her, and putting back her hair from her wet face. " Why Lilly! You ! So pretty and so young!"
" Oh Meg!" she interrupted, holding her at arm's-length, and looking in her face imploringly. "The worst of all, the worst of all! Strike me old, Meg! Wither me and shrivel me, and free me from the dreadful thoughts that tempt me in my youth!"
Trotty turned to look upon his guide. But the Spirit of the child had taken flight. Was gone.
Neither did he himself remain in the same place; for Sir Joseph Bowley, Friend and Father of the Poor, held a great festivity at Bowley Hall, in honour of the natal day of Lady Bowley ; and as Lady Bowley had been born on New Year's Day (which the local newspapers considered an especial pointing of the finger of Providence to number One, as Lady Bowley's destined figure in Creation), it was on a New Year's Day that this festivity took place.
Bowley Hall was full of visitors. The red-faced gentleman was there, Mr. Filer was there, the great Alderman Cute was there— Alderman Cute had a sympathetic feeling with great people, and had considerably improved his acquaintance with Sir Joseph Bowley on the strength of his attentive letter: indeed had become quite a friend of the family since then—and many guests were there. Trotty's ghost was there, wandering about, poor phantom, drearily; and looking for its guide. |
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