Volume I Part 6 (1/2)
Lingering only until the as cleared below the orchestra steps, he retreated down them even before the applause had ceased, and before any one could approach hi any one, he left the hall
And of hi afterwards was heard,--I mean at that time Not a soul in the whole town had learned his naht before was in vain attacked by spies on every errand The landlord could only say what he knew hier who had visited the place for the purpose of attending the festival, and who, having fulfilled that purpose, had left the city unknown, unnae would have had a fit of illness after an excitement of brain and of body so peculiar; but perhaps had I been less excited I should have been worse off afterwards As it was, the storht subsided of itself, and I was the better for it,--just as Nature is said to be after her disturbances of a similar description Davy took me home, and then set off to his own house, where he always seemed to have so much to do; and all , while I, rand adventure I was extremely amused to see how astonished Clo was to find me so reasonable; for her only fear had been, she infor for weeks if he were allowed to go And Millicent was very much astonished that I spoke so little of the perfor, ”If you had seen him you would not wonder”
”Is he handsome, Charles?” said Lydia, innocently, with her brown eyes fixed upon her thier, and was shocked to perceive a little tarnished) I was so angry that I felt h only to answer, ”_You_ would not think so;” for so I believe Millicent softly watched me, and added, ”Charlie means, I think, that it was a very beautiful face”
”I do,” I said bluntly; ”I shall never see a beautiful face again You will never see one at all, as you have not seen _that_”
”Pity us then, Charles,” replied Millicent, in her gentlest voice
I climbed upon her lap ”Oh, no, dear! It is you who must pity me, because you do not knohat it is, and I do, and I have lost it”
Lydia lifted her eyes and made them very round; but as I was put to bed directly, nobody heard any ht
CHAPTER X
It was very strange, or rather it was just natural, that I should feel so singularly low next day I was not exactly tired, and I was not exactly miserable I was perfectly blank, like a sunless autumn day, with no wind about I lay very late in bed, and as I lay there I no more believed the events of yesterday than if they had been a dreaed to touch myself, my hair, my face, and the bed-clothes before I could persuade myself that I was not myself a drea, suain after breakfast
Yearning to re-excite myself in some fashi+on, I marched into the parlor and requested Clo to teach(with her short-sightedness) into Herodotus; but though all my books were placed upon the table by her, I could tell very easily that she had not expected me, and was very much pleased I should co my copy with ink, I usedthan I could have helped breathing Clo was very kind, she looked at me solemnly, not severely, and solemnly administered the consolation that they were the effect of exciteht they were the effect of a want of excite to her
I overcame them, and was quiet for the rest of the day, and for several days; but iine what I suffered when I saw no more of Lenhart Davy As the world in our house went on just the sa the house so char speculations, I was fairly left to myself with my new discovery about myself; namely, that I must be a musician, or I should perish
Had I only seen Lenhart Davy, I could have told him all I believe my attraction towards hiht of him while he stayed away, it would have hurt me too much; for I was painfully, may be vainly, sensitive I was not able to appreciate his delicacy of judg from any further communication with us until we ourselves reminded him of us I had no hope; and the four or five days I havewithout his apparition seemed to annihilate my future I quite drooped, I could not help it; and ue a dozen ti herself with so it seemed!
quite four months, as I used to reckon I never once alluded to Lenhart Davy, but others did,--at least not Millicent, but Lydia and my eldest sister Lydia made the observation that perhaps he was too modest to come without a special invitation; but Clo hurt e upon the stool in the parlor by the , after tea, endeavoring to gatherfancies to ”Simple Susan,” her simple woes, pleasures, and loves (for Clo was there, and I did not wish to be noticed), when Millicent came into the room and said my mother wished to speak to me upstairs I went out with Millicent ”What does she want--I mean mother?” I inquired, no doubt rather peevishly
”She wants to ask you a question you will like to answer, Charles”
”Shall I?--what is it? I don't think I shall like to answer any question Oh, Millicent!” and I hid my small face in the folds of her dark-blue frock
”Co, you must not feel so h the tears were in her eyes I still persisted in hiding -rooreat white chair beside the fire; next her stood a small table covered with hose,--the hose of the whole household
”How, Charles! ho! Be a man, or at least a boy, or I am sure I had better not ask you what I sent for you to answer Co in Mr Davy's class? You et to take great pains to write, to cipher, and to read as well; but I think you are very fond of singing since you found your voice, and Mr Davy, to whom I wrote, says you can be of use to hiood as to teach you what he teaches the others,--to understand what you sing”
Dear Millicent! I kneed it all to her, for there had been that in her face, her manner, and her kind eyes that told me she had felt for me in my desolation; and now as she stood apart from my mother and me, I ran to her and told her so--that I knew it all I will not dwell upon the solicitude of Clo, lest I should becoeable in the midst of my satisfaction, nor upon Lydia's a me to join the class; but I well recollect how Millicent kept fast bycal ht to eneral opinion, to be per
Lenhart Davy dined with us on Sunday, by special invitation, written by areth He told me that I must not mistake his silence if he spoke not to me nor noticed me when he was amidst his pupils I perfectly understood even then how acious self-dependence